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Paper short abstract

This paper examines how U.S. interventions are justified to protect Christians during episodes of mass violence in Nigeria, analyzing legal, political, and ethical claims. It asks how ideas of justice are constructed amid ongoing violence and how they shape intervention strategies.

Paper long abstract

This study examines the justifications for U.S. interventions aimed at protecting Christians in Nigeria during episodes of mass political violence and targeted attacks. As conflicts unfold, legal, moral, and political claims emerge to frame these actions as necessary measures to shield civilians and prevent genocide. Drawing on ethnographic and comparative approaches, the paper investigates how justice and protection are understood by local communities, international actors, and policymakers, and how these groups negotiate the legitimacy of intervention within complex and rapidly evolving conflict contexts. Central questions include: How do local populations, states, and international institutions define justice and protection amidst ongoing violence? What legal, moral, and strategic frameworks are invoked to justify intervention? How are emerging technologies, documentation methods, and advocacy networks mobilized when evidence of atrocities is fragmented or sites of violence are inaccessible? The paper also explores how narratives of threat, vulnerability, and humanitarian obligation shape both domestic and international support for intervention. By situating U.S. actions within broader debates on humanitarian law, sovereignty, and the ethics of protection, this study highlights the tensions between global legal norms and local understandings of justice. It demonstrates how interventions are framed simultaneously as protective and politically strategic, reflecting both the ethical imperatives and constraints that govern international responses to mass violence. Ultimately, the paper contributes to discussions on the dynamics of intervention, showing how legal, ethical, and practical considerations intersect in real time to shape both the implementation and perception of humanitarian protection efforts.