Exploring the Link Between R2P and Refugee Protection: Arriving at Resettlement

This article addresses how resettlement can serve as a method for discharging the international community’s Responsibility to Protect (R2P) populations from mass atrocity, particularly in cases like Syria where the lack of consensus on the UN Security Council has prevented an effective response in terms of diplomatic, humanitarian or military means for protecting the Syrian population from mass atrocities. The academic literature considers the link between R2P and refugee protection, but it is too focused on asylum, and it relies on normative arguments that fail to engage state interests. This article aims to explore the theoretical divide between R2P’s scholars, states, and civil society in terms of how each envisions the link between R2P and refugee protection. The article explores resettlement as a mechanism for rectifying these different interests in order to engage advocacy around R2P, thereby preserving its normative future and increasing protection of those fleeing mass atrocities.