Humanitarian intervention refers to the use of military force by one or more states in another state without the latter's consent, with the primary aim of preventing or stopping widespread suffering or human rights abuses.

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a doctrine adopted at the 2005 UN World Summit holding that sovereignty is conditional: when a state fails to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, or crimes against humanity, the international community has the responsibility to intervene.

Sovereignty means a state's independence and control over its territory. States are expected to govern effectively, make decisions within their borders and control what happens inside their territory.

World norms are shared expectations and standards that guide the behavior of states and other actors in the international system.