Does collapse of the state, genocide or ethnic cleansing justify intervention?

Abstract

Although the dilemma of intervention is not new, it emerged as a main topic of debate after the Cold War. The dilemma is whether to intervene in countries where gross human rights violations occur or to respect the sovereignty of the states. Even though a state has a right to sovereignty, thus is allowed to deal with its own affairs without foreign intervention, there are certain cases of large scale human rights violations, such as genocide or ethnic cleansing that might justify intervention. In these cases, the question is not only the sovereignty of the states but also whether the way of intervention is appropriate and whether it achieves the desired result without causing more harm. We can differentiate between two main types of interventions: humanitarian peacekeeping and military intervention. In our case, military intervention is the more relevant one, being the subject of real controversy.