A comparative study, United Nations response to international law violations in Ukraine and Gaza

Sammanfattning

The thesis starts by highlighting the selective nature of international responses to the accusation of violations of international law, using the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza as case studies. Comparing four categories of violations, namely, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, forced displacement, collective punishment, and targeting of civilian infrastructure. The research shows inconsistency in framing and addressing similar breaches by international actors, primarily the United Nations. the theories chosen are Just War Theory and postcolonialism, which together evaluate wartime acts for morality and legality to the critique of colonial legacies and geopolitical hierarchies shaping international perception. The research methods used are qualitative methods, which include comparative case studies and quantitative content analysis in assessing the sets of inconsistencies resulting from strategic interests and historical narratives. The findings indicate that, whereas actions by Russia in Ukraine are consistently and majorly condemned, the responses to the actions of Israel in Gaza have been more fragmented and even geopolitically aligned.