You are kindly invited to attend a public lecture by
Professor Alan Kuperman, University of Texas, USA

Why the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) Backfires
(And How to Fix It)

Thursday, 9 February 2017
4.00pm
Alison Richard Building, Room S1
POLIS Department, University of Cambridge

ABSTRACT:
The moral hazard of humanitarian intervention, a controversial hypothesis when originally proposed nearly 20 years ago, is now a well-documented phenomenon in multiple conflicts spanning several decades and continents.  The prospect of intervention may spark or prolong rebellion and thereby increase the risk of brutal counter-insurgency that harms civilians.  Sadly, many scholars and activists still deny this reality, fearing that by acknowledging it they might undermine public support for their cherished humanitarian norms.  This is ironic, because nothing could undermine these norms more than failing to reform their implementation to reduce such tragic unintended consequences.

This lecture is part of a public lecture series on “U.S. military intervention and the transatlantic alliance today,” generously supported by the US Embassy in London and the British Association for American Studies (BAAS).