Syria and the indicators of a ‘manifest failing’

The on-going crisis in Syria helps Responsibility to Protect (R2P) analysts identify what evidence scholars and policymakers base judgements of a ‘manifest failing’ on. This is particularly relevant as the multifaceted crisis in Syria underlines the complexity and confusion that scholars and policymakers face when analysing overlap between atrocity crimes and armed conflict. The article draws on interdisciplinary research into mass violence in order to put forward five key indicators of a ‘manifest failing’ and applies them to Syria: i) government intentions, ii) weapons used, iii) death toll, iv) number of people displaced, and v) the intentional targeting of civilians, especially women, children and the elderly. In so doing, the article contributes to an emerging research agenda which may aid policymakers and scholars in their assessment of a ‘manifest failing’ but also has scope for helping those outside government to hold decision makers to account by creating a framework against which political [in]action can be judged.