In this episode, the International Politics podcast tackles a pressing question: When should and can the international community intervene in cases of genocide? Through legal, political, and historical lenses, we assess past, present, and potential future humanitarian interventions. 

Host Hadrian is joined by three guests, each experts in their field: Jule, legal specialist with experience at the ICJ and ICC, will kick off the episode with a legal deepdive, Lotte, a former UN special envoy for humanitarian affairs and peacekeeping, provides an insider’s perspective on when intervention is (im)possible. Finally, Fiachra, an academic expert on humanitarian interventions, provides a historical analysis examining past successes and failures and offers insight into what can be done in the future. 

Together, they break down key concepts, including the R2P doctrine and its political implications, the tension between state sovereignty and erga omnes obligations, and past cases of genocide and mass atrocities. Special attention is given to the role of state sanctions and international courts, including an analysis of the current case, South Africa v. Israel. 

Join us as we aim to combine multiple perspectives to answer one of the most challenging questions of our time: When should the world take action? 

* Episodes of the UCG International Politics podcast are course assignments prepared by the students at the University College Groningen. The characters assumed by the students in the episodes are entirely fictional.