8A.7 - Geopolitical interventions

• UN - 2005 World Summit Outcome Document


  • Each country has the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity
  • If the responsibility fails, responsibility falls to international community
  • Responsibility to protect (R2P) - 150 countries
  • Geopolitical interventions generally take 4 forms:
  • Development aid
  • Military aid
  • Military action
  • Trade embargoes
• Western governments and intervention


  • Western nations condemn human rights violations and use them as mechanisms for:
  • Justifying intervention
  • Offering aid
  • Negotiating trade agreements
  • Reasons for military action
  • Why is it flawed?
  • Challenges national sovereignty
  • National sovereignty conflicts with R2P
• Murder vs Genocide

  • Murder - The malicious and unlawful killing of a human by another human
  • Genocide - The systematic extermination of an entire national, racial, religious or ethnic group
• Bilateral vs Multilateral aid

  • Bilateral aid - receiving country must spend money on goods and services from the country providing it
  • Multilateral aid - HICs donate money through organisations such as World Bank and United Nations
• Direct military action vs Indirect military action

  • Direct military action - direct force, such as troops or missiles
  • Indirect military action - military assistance, such as training
• Myanmar

  • Received $4.171 billion from USA 2013-14
  • Humanitarian assistance
  • 2021 military coup - 5000 civilian deaths, 3.3 million displaced, FDi $4.8 billion to $600 million, civil war
• Israel

  • $3.1 billion from USA in 2014
  • $158 billion since 1948