The responsibility to protect after libya and syria the responsibility to protect after libya and syria spencer zifcak at the united nations world summit in 2005, global political leaders endorsed a new doctrine to govern international political behaviour entitled the. The first of these demanded a halt to violence against civilians. The concerns over the use of force based on resolution 1973 in libya. The responsibility to protect and international intervention. Each individual state has the responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity the international community.
Libya and the future of the responsibility to protect african and. This article analyzes the geopolitical narratives produced by france, the united kingdom, and the united states from 15 february through 18 march 2011 as a humanitarian intervention in libya was debated. The responsibility to protect doctrine after libya september 28, 2011 internally displaced libyans from the city of tawarga wait to be rescued. Ihl is found in international treaties conventions as well as in customary law rules that develop over time due to consistent state practice accompanied by the belief that the practice is legally required.
The responsibility to protect after libya and syria the responsibility to protect after libya and syria spencer zifcak at the united nations world summit in 2005, global political leaders endorsed a new doctrine to govern international political behaviour entitled the responsibility to protect. The responsibility to protect in the libyan intervention. R2p, as it is commonly abbreviated, was adopted by heads of state and government at the. Following widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population by the libyan regime, and language used by muammar gaddafi that reminded the international community of the genocide in rwanda, the security council unanimously adopted resolution 1970 on 26 february 2011, making. Libya was the first case where the security council authorized a military intervention citing the r2p. That doctrine, agreed by heads of state and government at the united nations in september 2005, provides.
The responsibility to protect the cases of libya and ivory. The responsibility to protect rtop played an important role in shaping the worlds response to actual and threatened atrocities in libya. International commission on intervention and state sovereignty the responsibility to protect report of the international commission on intervention and state sovereignty issued also in french under title. Oct 12, 2011 critics of the responsibility to protect r2p and interventionism in general have long accused international humanitarian action of being a form of imperialism cloaked in humanitarianism. The responsibility to protect is a principle which seeks to ensure that the international community never again fails to act in the face of genocide and other gross forms of human rights abuse. Responsibility to protect to justify libya intervention steven groves this. Between opportunistic humanitarianism and valuefree pragmatism. Libya and the responsibility to protect united states.
Suggested citation chesterman, simon, leading from behind. Aus responsibility to protect in the libyan crisis 2011. Responsibility to protect and its applicability in libya and. Responsibility to protect and its applicability in libya. This law, the responsibility to protect r2p, was correctly enacted by the united nations security council unsc as a result of the widespread violence that had already occurred in libya and the legitimate fear of escalation. The responsibility to protect is contained in the general assemblys outcome document of the 2005 world summit. Libya and the future of the responsibility to protect. The third pillar says that in cases where a state is unable to provide protection for its citizens, the international community has the responsibility to respond collectively in a timely and decisive manner to provide such protection.
This postlibya backlash against r2p has been a central factor in the international communitys subsequent inability to agree on effective civilian protection measures in syria. Pdf the responsibility to protect r2p after libya researchgate. Pdf revisiting responsibility to protect after libya. The responsibility to protect in syria and beyond after the 1994 genocide in rwanda, world leaders vowed that such mass atrocities could never be allowed to happen again. Nato followed the r2p mandate and carried out a successful military intervention in libya. Humanitarian intervention, the responsibility to protect. Although there is no doubt that the intervention was significant, the implications of resolution 1973 are not as profound as some have claimed. The responsibility to protect after libya and syria spencer zifcak at the united nations world summit in 2005, global political leaders endorsed a new doctrine to govern international political behaviour entitled the responsibility to protect.
The libyan uprising and the prompt military intervention to save threatened libyans by the international community in 2011 were accompanied by reference of the case of libya to the icc through security council resolutions 1970 and 1973, both of which were pursued on the basis of the trajectory of responsibility to protect in international law. The main topic of my thesis is responsibility to protect from libya to syria. The responsibility to protect r2p is a new norm or set of principles that redefines sovereignty as a responsibility rather than as a privilege or a means of control, which offers a policy guideline on when and how the international community should intervene for the sake of human protection in the face of mass atrocity crimes. This article explores the role that the responsibility to protect r2p played in the 2011 intervention in libya. The doctrine of responsibility to protect r2p holds that when a sovereign state fails to prevent atrocities, foreign governments may. Initially, there were 51 states which had joined this new intergovernmental institution in 1945. Pdf the responsibility to protect r2p is a new norm or set of principles that redefines sovereignty as a responsibility rather than as a privilege.
Libya and the responsibility to protect 1 aidan hehir 2 humanitarianism, responsibility or rationality. Issued by the international development research centre. The nato intervention in libya is, to date, the most conspicuous example of the application of r2p. Sep 28, 2011 the responsibility to protect doctrine after libya september 28, 2011 internally displaced libyans from the city of tawarga wait to be rescued outside sirte, libya, monday, sept.
To this end, i will explore the role of the r2p principle with regard to the current challenges. Although there is no doubt that the intervention was significant, the implications of resolution. The military invasions of libya and ivory coast have been justified by reference to the responsibility to protect doctrine. This book offers a novel and contemporary examination of the responsibility to protect r2p doctrine from an international legal perspective and analyses how the doctrine was applied within the libyan and syrian conflicts as two recent and highly significant r2p cases. The president stated that when our interests and values are at no. Interviewed by bbc monitoring middle east on bbc news, 1 march thakur, r. In the last three years, r2p has failed to find a way to syria to stop the most tragic humanitarian catastrophe of recent. Critics of the responsibility to protect r2p and interventionism in general have long accused international humanitarian action of being a form of imperialism cloaked in humanitarianism. Libya, syria and, the responsibility to protect hoover.
The cases of libya and syria have nonetheless raised fundamental questions about the prospect of catalyzing international efforts to protect populations, particularly when there is disagreement over the costs and benefits of a coercive response. Giselle lopez wrote responsibility to protect at a crossroads. They called upon the libyan authorities to act with restraint, to respect human rights and international. The responsibility to protect, the obama doctrine, and humanitarian intervention after libya may 31, 2011.
Currently the united nations includes 193 member states. First and foremost, r2p reflects the negative duty for states to refrain from committing atrocities against its own people, a responsibility the regime of col. Responsibility to protect after libya jake lynch abstract academic writing about the responsibility to protect r2p frequently adopts a position of advocacy, with researchers concentrating, in recent texts, on prospects for, and modalities of, practical application of this new norm in. The libyan crisis has brought focus to the critical and complex issue of the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. On march 28, president obama delivered a speech for the purpose of explaining his decision to use military force in libya. The responsibility to protect doctrine after libya need. Responsibility to protect to justify libya intervention steven groves this paper, in its entirety, can be found at. International humanitarian law and the responsibility to protect. Gareth evans, the responsibility to protect after libya and syria 2012. Arab emirates, took part in implementing the nofly zone over libya mandated by resolution 1973.
The responsibility to protect in libya borjana luburawinchester and reece jones department of geography, university of hawaii at manoa, u. The coalition successfully provided support to ntc forces in benghazi and misrata and then later in libya s capital tripoli, gaddafis hometown sirte, and other loyalist strongholds in libya. The study aims to investigate whether or not the intervention in libya was in line with responsibility to protect, and, in so doing, the study analyses resolution 1973 to ascertain whether or not the interveners went beyond their mandate. Responsibility to protect and its applicability in libya and syria erfaun norooz abstract. The applicability of the responsibility to protect or r2p principle to the current situation in libya is undeniable. As the title of pattisons book suggests, the idea of a responsibility to protect or r2p has become a prominent theme in the discussion about humanitarian intervention, and has arguably given the academic conversation on this topic a new lease on life, especially since few humanitarian. Two security council resolutions, 1970 and 1973, refer directly to the libyan governments responsibility to protect its people and its failure to do so.
Humanitarian intervention, the responsibility to protect, and. Libya, the responsibility to protect and the future of humanitarian intervention. The rtop balance sheet after libya november 2011 einternational relations. Many observers heralded the security councilsanctioned intervention in libya in march 2011 as evidence of the efficacy of the responsibility to protect r2p. The responsibility to protect and the arab spring 595 into question. Libya, with the purpose to protect civilians from the regime. It examines the r2p legal framework in coordination with events on the ground in libya during the early part of 2011 in order to thoroughly explain that r2p was correctly invoked by the united nations security council in order to uphold international law. The original responsibility to protect is the title of a report published by the international commission on intervention and state sovereignty iciss in 2001, which was chaired by former australian foreign minister gareth evans and algerian diplomat mohamed sahnoun. The responsibility to protect and the structural problems. Pdf revisiting responsibility to protect after libya and.
Libya and the responsibility to protect between opportunistic humanitarianism and valuefree pragmatism the application of the responsibility to protect r2p norm to libya in 2011 was successful but controversial. Libya, the responsibility to protect and the future of humanitarian. Pdf turkey and the responsibility to protect in libya. The members of the security council called on the government of libya to meet its responsibility to protect its population. Libya, the responsibility to protect and the future of. The future under international law of the responsibility to. Based on this ostensible success, many experts now cite libya as a model for implementing the socalled responsibility to protect r2p. I will particularly apply r2p to the recent case of libya and the current situation in syria. The responsibility to protect after libya and syria the.
Evaluating intervention as state strategy 15 robert w. Murray 3 the responsibility to protect as the apotheosis of liberal teleology 34 aidan hehir 4 my fears, alas, were not unfounded. The responsibility to protect r2p doctrine, after its first ever implementation in libya, has halted in syria. The security councils press statement on libya yesterday included a phrase that ought to pique some interest. Looking for the effective measures to prevent systematic violations of human rights and core crimes of international law, the international commission on intervention and state sovereignty in december 2001 released the report responsibility to protect.
Looking for the effective measures to prevent systematic violations of human rights and core crimes of international law, the international commission on intervention and state sovereignty in december 2001 released the report responsibility to. The responsibility to protect r2p is a new norm or set of principles that redefines sovereignty as a responsibility rather than as a privilege or a means of control, which offers a policy. For 350 years since westphalia, sovereignty functioned as institutionalised indifference. The bricibsa countries brazil, russia, india, china, and south africa. Concept and implementation, opportunity and misuse the r2p attempt failed in libya dr. Engaging emerging powers 20 36 the washington quartely 64.
Report of the international commission on intervention and state sovereignty 2001 international development research centre 7. In the postcold war atmosphere, growing global awareness of human rights violations have captured the atten. The multinational military operation in libya in 2011 was the. Before embracing such conclusions, however, it is important to conduct a more rigorous assessment of the net humanitarian impact of nato intervention in libya. The research essay was first published in transatlantic perspectives on diplomacy and diversity humanity in action press 2015.
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