Abstract

The article provides the first substantive analysis of the war on drugs in the Philippines under the Responsibility to Protect. It develops in two stages. First, it argues that the war on drugs constitutes crimes against humanity through an analysis of, (i) extrajudicial killings and vigilante justice, (ii), dehumanisation, and, (iii) the exaggeration of threat. Second, it examines the response of the permanent five members of the UN Security Council (p5) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Despite that the US, the UK, and France have expressed public concerns, we show that they prioritise counter-terrorism and trade over the Responsibility to Protect. Meanwhile, China and Russia uphold the view that the war on drugs is a matter of domestic jurisdiction. Regarding ASEAN, we draw on 26 semi-structured elite interviews conducted in South East Asia (2016-2018) to evidence that the elites prioritise state sovereignty and non-interference. The outcome is that there is a significant protection deficit as the government of the Philippines, the p5, and ASEAN are failing to protect those targeted in the war on drugs. We hope that the article will act as a catalyst for a much needed conversation on the international community’s political, legal, and moral responsibilities regarding mass violence against drug users in international relations.

摘要

本文提供了《保护责任》下对菲律宾毒品战争的首次实质性分析。它分为两个阶段。首先，它认为通过对以下方面的分析，毒品战争构成危害人类罪：（i）法外处决和警惕性司法；（ii）非人性化；以及（iii）威胁的夸大。其次，它研究了联合国安理会常任理事国（p5）和东南亚国家联盟（ASEAN）五个常任理事国的回应。尽管美国，英国和法国表达了公众关注，但我们表明，它们将反恐和贸易置于保护责任之上。同时，中俄坚持认为，毒品战争是国内管辖权的问题。关于东盟，我们利用在东南亚（2016-2018）进行的26次半结构化精英访谈来证明，精英阶层优先考虑国家主权和不干涉。结果是，由于菲律宾政府，五国集团和东盟未能保护针对毒品战争的目标人群，因此存在巨大的保护赤字。我们希望，这篇文章能够促进就国际社会在国际关系中针对吸毒者的大规模暴力行为的国际社会的政治，法律和道德责任进行必要的对话。