Is Côte d'Ivoire a Test Case for R2P? Democratization as Fulfilment of the International Community's Responsibility to Prevent

Abstract

AbstractAfter the election deadlock in Côte d'Ivoire, the international community recognized Ouattara as the winner of the elections, while the incumbent president, Gbagbo, also claimed victory. When they were both sworn in, violence ensued. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon stated that the international community had a responsibility to protect citizens. Thereafter, the UN, African Union and ECOWAS attempted to quell the violence through mediation and the threat of force. Gbagbo was eventually ousted by Ouattara's forces. This article examines the international community's responsibility to prevent and its actions in that regard. If democratization is a means to prevent mass atrocities, what was the nature of the international community's responsibility to Ivoirians to prevent conflict? What should be the international community's reaction to internal agitations for democracy? Some answers to these questions lie in the framework for the international community's responsibility to prevent the four crimes related to R2P.