Current Research
D. Phil. International Relations, University of Oxford
Understanding the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P): The Evolution, Interpretation, and Implementation of R2P in the War on Terror, 2001-2007
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Maria Banda
2008 Trudeau Scholar
maria.banda@trudeaufoundation.net
Profile
Maria Banda has long been interested in norms of global responsibility in the areas of human rights and the environment. "I was told that human security-type research was a waste of time," recalls this University of Toronto graduate. "That national security - the 'meat and potatoes' of international relations - was where it's at. However, it seemed clear that a major shift was underway in the policy community. Essentially, the world was ready for a new diet."
The 'Responsibility to Protect (R2P)' emerged as the obvious choice for her thesis when she went to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. "R2P was another brainchild of Canada's human security diplomacy," she explains, "and it offered a window into an area of international relations where new norms of state conduct were urgently needed." The principle that the international community has a duty to protect people from the worst kinds of human rights abuses was endorsed at the UN World Summit in 2005, but it remains most honoured in the breach.
Beyond an analysis of this compliance gap, Maria hopes that a study of R2P's political and legal evolution might hold broader lessons for Canadian diplomacy-for example, how transnational coalition-building and international law might be used to protect and promote global welfare. Having worked with several international organizations, she sees much scope for such strategies under Canadian leadership. "What is true of R2P, applies equally to how we can deal with climate change or corporate practices in the developing world," she says. "We cannot close our eyes to what goes on beyond our borders. In a world in which security, sustainable development, and human rights are all intimately connected, this isn't just good international citizenship: it's plain smart policy."
Trudeau Foundation Themes
Human Rights and Social Justice »
Responsible Citizenship »
Canada and the World »Current Residence
Cambridge, MassachusettsLanguages
English, French, Italian, Croatian, German, working knowledge of SpanishDegrees
- J.D. (Law), Harvard University
- M.Phil., International Relations, University of Oxford
- Honours BA, International Relations, History, and Economics, University of Toronto
- Diploma in European Studies, International Summer Programme, University of Vienna
Current Research
Understanding the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P): The Evolution, Interpretation, and Implementation of R2P in the War on Terror, 2001-2007
How has the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) been interpreted and implemented since 2001, and why? Between various promises states make and the actions they take to protect civilians from violence, a large zone of acute human insecurity remains in places like Sudan or Northern Uganda. How actors respond to humanitarian crises-and why a disconnect exists between the theory and the practice of intervention-ultimately turns on the question of how the "responsibility to protect," in all of its dimensions, is understood in today's international society. This principle, endorsed by world leaders in 2005, affirms that the international community has an obligation to protect civilians from violence in humanitarian emergencies when their own state is unable or unwilling to do so. Yet that solemn pledge has frequently been ignored on the ground. By bringing international relations (IR) and legal scholarship within a single framework, the purpose of Maria's D.Phil. thesis is to advance both the theoretical and the policy debate by asking how R2P is interpreted and implemented in the context of the war on terror, and why. She is particularly interested in the Canadian dimension given the importance of Ottawa's diplomacy in the early stages of R2P's evolution. To the extent that a gap exists between Canada's advocacy of R2P and our hesitant response to atrocities, this study will also examine whether our liberal internationalist tradition is in need of reinforcement.
Past Research
- Deforestation in Latin America and climate change negotiations
- Report on Governing Global Climate Change (for the G8+5 countries)
- Policy paper for the UN Association in Canada on the Responsibility to Protect
- Project on the WTO members' accession process and its evolution since 1995
- Policy paper on civil society responses to avian flu and global health governance
- Project on North American governance and Canada's and Mexico's responses to policy changes in the United States post-9/11
Awards
- Graduate Fellow, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
- Canada Program Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
- Rhodes Scholar (Ontario)
- The Royal Bank of Canada Award (Oxford)
- The Gilbert Murray Trust Junior Award (Oxford) for the study of the United Nations
- National Winner, As Prime Minister Awards Program
Social Engagement
- Co-Chair, Harvard International Affairs Council
- Policy Editor, Harvard Journal on Law and Policy
- Co-Chair, Harvard Canadian Law Society
- Founder and (former) Executive Director, G8 Research Group - Oxford
- Member, Balliol College Women's Boat Club
Work Experience
- Independent consultant, Banda Consulting Group International
- Intern, Embassy of Canada, Washington, D.C.
- Research Assistant, World Trade Organization
- Intern, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Junior Professional Consultant, International Labour Organization
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