Article by Federica D’Alessandra and Ross James Gildeaon in Global Responsibility to Protect on how rapid developments in digital and cyber technology shape our understanding of the Responsibility to Protect. The Responsibility to Protect – known as R2P – is an international norm that seeks to ensure that the international community never again fails to halt genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It states that not only must states protect their own populations from these atrocities, but that if any state is "manifestly failing" in its protection responsibilities, then other states should take collective action to protect the population.
Technology's influence on political and social dynamics now has a major bearing on both mass atrocities and prevention efforts, yet little attention has previously been paid to the relationship between digital technology and the Responsibility to Protect. The article seeks to address this gap.
