Why should Humanitarian NGOs avoid calling for military interventions?

This policy brief aims to highlight the relationship between Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) and Military Interventions based on humanitarian grounds. After explaining RtoP and its relationship with humanitarian interventions, this paper discusses the future of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine in light of the Libyan and Syrian cases. The author argues that the legitimacy of NGOs is being put at risk internationally and locally due to their reliance on RtoP doctrine and their close association with military interventions. Finally, this paper provides some guidelines to improve the effectiveness of global NGOs, clarifying their position with respect to foreign interventions.