Not at the Mercy of No Protection

Abstract

UN-mandated zones of protection seem like a relic of the 1990s, discredited by the Srebrenica genocide. The past decade of war in Syria and elsewhere has shown that other means of intervention have led to disastrous outcomes as well. However, a look at the recent history of zones of protection shows that success is possible. German foreign policy has long been committed to the rhetoric of preventing mass atrocities; its forthcoming national security strategy will be the place to put its institu-tional muscle where its political mouth has been for a long time.