Sovereignty vs. human rights or sovereignty and human rights?

What, post-cold war, are the implications of so-called humanitarian interventions for international law, the nation state and peoples' rights? Is this a cover for imperialism or, in the era of globalisation, an essential widening of protection for human rights? The provisions of the UN Charter and related instruments are examined, together with the arguments in support of such interventions. That state sovereignty protects human rights by reducing the incidence of war and promoting self-determination and that military intervention can result in atrocities are often overlooked. Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia and the first Gulf war are among the examples discussed.