Is Stopping War Crimes the Responsibility of "Others"?

A survey on war crimes, carried out by Ipsos in 2019, shows a familiar pattern that is easily transferable to the hesitation of many countries to intervene in Ukraine despite the reality of Russian war crimes having been all but proven by pictures out of Bucha in recent days.

When asked whether their country or other countries should intervene in the case of war crimes being committed, respondents from almost all of the 24 countries included in the survey were more likely to point the finger at others. In the specific case of the Ukraine invasion, agreement with intervention might be lower in general, however, given the involvement of Russia, a nuclear power, and the potential of NATO's article V being invoked.

In Europe, respondents from Poland, Spain and Italy were most likely to say an intervention should take place, followed by those from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Swedes and Germans, however, were more hesitant to call upon their own country than their preference for the involvement of others would suggest, as were Hungarians.

Almost all European countries scored above or at the survey average, while the United States scored just below. The preference gap in the involvement of others or one's own country was one of the smallest in the U.S. compared with other nations.