This pap.er analyses the principle of state sovereignty and the role it has played in intrastate conflict since the end of the Cold War. The Rwandan genocide is used as a case study to examine the relationship between state sovereignty and human rights. The theoretical and analytical framework used in the paper is based on liberal cosmopolitanism, including the value this normative framework places on individualism. The paper argues that current debates about state sovereignty must be considered in light of a number. of key developments that have occurred since Rwanda's genocide, including: current debates about the use of humanitarian military intervention, the adoption of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, the role of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the role of the International Criminal Court. In order for the international community to move forward in combating future genocides and crimes against humanity, this paper concludes that it is necessary to reevaluate the doctrine of state sovereignty.