What does the responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine emphasize?

The responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine emphasizes that states have a duty to protect their populations from severe human rights violations, including genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. This principle arose in the early 2000s as a response to the international community's inability to prevent atrocities in places like Rwanda and the Balkans.

The core idea behind R2P is that sovereignty is not just a privilege but also entails responsibilities. When a state fails to protect its own citizens from these grave offenses or is itself the perpetrator, the international community has the obligation to intervene, using diplomatic, humanitarian, and, when necessary, military measures to safeguard vulnerable populations. This doctrine represents a significant shift towards a more interventionist stance in international relations, prioritizing human rights over strict notions of state sovereignty.

In contrast, other options are misaligned with the core tenets of R2P. Focusing on economic growth over humanitarian concerns disregards the necessity of prioritizing human rights and protection in governance. Solely concentrating on national defense strategies neglects the humanitarian aspect that R2P promotes, and promoting democracy in foreign nations, while important, is not a primary focus of R2P, which is fundamentally about the protection of