The idea that states share a responsibility to shield people everywhere from atrocities is
presently under threat. Despite some early twenty-first century successes including the 2005
United Nations endorsement of the Responsibility to Protect the project has been placed into
jeopardy due to catastrophes in such places as Syria Myanmar and Yemen resurgent nationalism
and growing global antagonism. In Sharing Responsibility Luke Glanville seeks to diagnose the
current crisis in international protection by exploring its long and troubled history. With
attention to ethics law and politics he measures what possibilities remain for protecting
people wherever they reside from atrocities despite formidable challenges in the international
arena. With a focus on Western natural law and the European society of states Glanville shows
that the history of the shared responsibility to protect is marked by courageous efforts as
well as troubling ties to Western imperialism evasion and abuse.
