Terrorism and Pillar Two Protection Assistance: The Yazidis on Mount Sinjar

Abstract

The last decade has seen an overall increase in mass atrocity crimes being committed by non-state actors, including terrorist groups. A key strength of R2P Pillar Two Protection Assistance lies in its potential for addressing imminent threats of mass atrocity posed by such groups. This article discusses the scope and legitimacy of R2P Pillar Two, its application to non-state actors, and the conditions that enabled limited protection assistance action to be effectively rendered in response to the impending genocide of 40,000 Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq in 2014.