Responsibility to Protect and the Libyan Crisis
CLAIHR President Jillian Siskind speaks about the Responsibility To Protect
On March 26th, 2011, CLAIHR’s President, Jillian Siskind, delivered the keynote address for a two-day symposium at the University of Toronto titled “Deconstructing Humanitarian Aid in the 21st Century”. The symposium was organized by the International Relations Society at the Munk School of Global Affairs and featured many speakers and panellists in the field of human rights.
Delegates were presented with a comprehensive investigation of contemporary issues relating to the politics of humanitarian aid and intervention. In particular, the symposium offered a well-timed opportunity for students, scholars, practitioners and individuals interested in human rights to gather and discuss relevant human rights issues concerning the recent turmoil in the Middle East.
Jillian provided the delegates with an overview of the legal framework for humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect with the corresponding political considerations inherent in such actions. The focus then turned to the current armed conflict in Libya, with first the background history of the country, followed by a political discussion of the current crisis and the response of the international community.
