Humanitarian obligation : the use of military intervention to counter severe human rights abuses

This thesis argues that the international community has a moral obligation in certain circumstances to use military force against those who conduct serious and ongoing violations of human rights. When non-military intervention fails to stop deliberate and persistent acts of genocide, torture, rape, mutilation and murder then the option of using force to stop determined belligerents must be seriously considered. The Balkans Conflict of 1992-1996 is analysed as a case study in which the circumstances, conditions and means of obligatory military intervention are discussed.For fulltext thesis access please contact author: jjanzek1@usc.edu.auSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2001