BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

INVOLVEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FROM RWANDA TO RAKHINE: DIVERGENCE OF THEORIES AND ITS APPLICABILITY-biiss journal vol 44 no 3 July 2023

Author: Md Kamrul Hassan

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2023v44n3a2

ABSTRACT

Should a state or the international community intervene in the domestic affairs of a state in the context of sovereignty and human rights dogma? Lensing through this question, this paper aims to study the involvement of the international community in different humanitarian crises. The connotation of sovereignty and human rights are arguable and well-contested both in theory and practice. For protecting human rights; theories, concepts, and other principles have been developed over the years. However, their application remains a debatable issue. With such a discourse, this paper attempts to focus on whether the inactivity of the international community can be questioned for its dubious role during a humanitarian disaster. If the international community fails to act to protect despite having sufficient time, required evidence and early warning regarding a forthcoming disaster, then the noble intention remains questionable. It is not because of the international community’s dearth of operational capability; rather, they are short of political will and noble commitment towards humanity. The crises in Rwanda and Balkan could not be addressed effectively due to the delayed response of the UN and other international organisations. The Iraq invasion (March 2003) by the US-led coalition forces was steered with an allegation that Iraq had been possessing weapons of mass destruction which was found elusive at a later stage. The Rohingya exodus still remains an unresolved problem. With such a backdrop, this paper argues that the core concepts of the doctrines were noble, yet drew criticisms due to flawed and biased application in international politics.