The principle of R2P - "Responsibility to Protect" - is intended to successfully counteract the international community's powerlessness and failure to act in the face of crises and humanitarian catastrophes. It commits the international community to intervene in cases of genocide and crimes against humanity - in extreme cases even against the will of the state concerned. Originally established in peacekeeping, R2P, in certain ways a Canadian "invention", also involves other areas of operation such as diplomacy, literature, and the media.
The 19 articles assembled in this volume, which discuss the concept and the history of its realization, contain both general reflections on a new understanding of state sovereignty and case studies dealing with particularly explosive political situations (Sudan, Afghanistan). Furthermore, beyond the responsibility of the political and diplomatic instances, the texts examine that of the media as sources of information, and the role of lliterature which - far beyond mere documentary writing - develops its own strategies and scenarios of how conflicts can be solved.