The Responsibility to Protect and Counter-Terrorism both 'came of age' at the turn of the millennium, as the international community was grappling with the challenges emerging from the end of the Cold War. R2P embraced the value of the individual, while counter-terrorism emphasized the importance of the state. Each appeared to represent a distinct way of understanding security. However, as these two concepts have evolved through contestation, application, and reform, surprising points of conflict and congruence have emerged which open up new ways of understanding what it means to protect both civilians and the state.
