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. Reasonable people can disagree on the appropriateness of the decision by the united states and its nato allies to attack libya in the wake of the gadaffi regimes offensive against rebelheld cities under the doctrine of the responsibility to protect. During its first decade in existence, the responsibility to protect r2p doctrine has struggled to transcend the complexities that plague humanitarian action. The emerging principle of the responsibility to protect r2p challenges chinas traditional emphasis on nonintervention in the domestic affairs of other states and nonuse of force. Today, we can see two major civil wars raging in the region, one in libya and another in syria. Lessons learned from responsibility to protect r2p in libya as a new principle in the world, responsibility to protect r2p is an obligation on the part of the international community and on the part of the states to protect civilians from mass atrocities by doing several actions like giving international aids, reducing poverty, supporting. Initially, there were 51 states which had joined this new intergovernmental institution in 1945.
Double standards in the implementation of the responsibility to protect doctrine are also apparent. Mar 26, 2015 the question whether external actors have a right of intervention within a sovereign state which is committing grave violations of human rights assumed par ticular significance in the case of the civil conflict that began in libya in february 2011. In response to muammar elqaddafis continued assaults on civilians in libya, the united nations. The responsibility to protect, the obama doctrine, and humanitarian intervention after libya may 31, 2011. 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. Bellamy t he responsibility to protect rtop played an important role in shaping the worlds response to actual and threatened atrocities in libya.
The malabo protocol, intended to merge the acthpr with the african court of justice, explicitly recalls the right to intervene and will, when established, grant criminal jurisdiction over, amongst. Impact of action in libya on the responsibility to protect 1. Opinion libya and the responsibility to protect the. Libya and the responsibility to protectthere has been a fair amount of debate over obamas decision to join western powers in using force to protect civilians in libya. Murray springer, may 29, 20 political science 240 pages. The research essay was first published in transatlantic perspectives on diplomacy and diversity humanity in action press 2015. Aug 22, 2014 this reaffirmed libyas responsibility to protect, referred the situation to the international criminal court icc and initiated travel bans, asset freezes and an arms embargo. The united nations security councils decision to pass resolution 1973 2011 in march 2011 was greeted by many with enthusiasm. Libya and the responsibility to protect small wars journal. In libya the us, uk and france quickly resorted to military action rejecting libyas offer to accept international monitors and qadaffis offer to step down and leave libya. Libya and the responsibility to protect libya reliefweb. The concerns over the use of force based on resolution 1973 in libya. Prior to the resolution being passed, however, libya and the responsibility to protect r2p did feature prominently in many of the panel discussions.
Humanitarian action a scope for the responsibility to protect. Apr 06, 2012 debating the responsibility to protect in libya, syria the responsibility to protect has been the subject of considerable debate in recent weeks, particularly as the international community continues to pursue an end to the violent crisis in syria, and the transition in postgaddafi libya moves forward with both uncertainty and concern. I will particularly apply r2p to the recent case of libya and the current situation in syria. Currently the united nations includes 193 member states. 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. The crisis in libya erupted after the call for papers had closed and thus it was not the subject of any conference papers. The responsibility to protect is a framework for eventual world government. Libya, the responsibility to protect and the future of. The main topic of my thesis is responsibility to protect from libya to syria. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it.
Libya, the responsibility to protect, and doublestandards. However, the violence continued and so resolution 1973 was adopted authorising states to use force to protect civilians in libya. Giselle lopez wrote responsibility to protect at a crossroads. Responsibility while protecting rwp and the intervention in. It is probable that the responsibility to protect r2p was born from that usage and at that time.
The security councils press statement on libya yesterday included a phrase that ought to pique some interest the members of the security council called on the government of libya to meet its responsibility to protect its population. Amos guiora is a professor of law at the university of utah and wrote a scientific article in. 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. Responsibility to protect r2p, libya, diplomacy, military intervention. The responsibility to protect has been the subject of considerable debate in recent weeks, particularly as the international community continues to pursue an end to the violent crisis in syria, and the transition in postgaddafi libya moves forward with both uncertainty and concern. They called upon the libyan authorities to act with restraint, to respect human rights and international. 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. Within the international response to the libyan regimes attacks on its population, the arab league, the united nations and nato favoured the use. Suggested citation chesterman, simon, leading from behind. The responsibility to protect rests on three pillars.
Secretary general ban kimoon was not exaggerating when he said in september last year, our debates are about how, not whether to implement the responsibility to protect. The doctrine of responsibility to protect r2p holds that when a sovereign state fails to prevent atrocities, foreign governments may intervene to stop them. Libya, responsibility to protect, nato, au, syria, intervention, crisis. On 26 february, the security council debated and agreed to resolution 1970. Genocide and the responsibility to protect issued a press release on the situation in libya in which they reminded the libyan government of its responsibility to protect its population and called for an immediate end to the violence. Libya is but one of many recent and ongoing examples where international responses to major humanitarian emergencies have been framed by a focus on the victims. The libyan crisis is one of the popular revolutions in the twentyfirst century. The president stated that when our interests and values are at no. The crisis in libya as part of the 2014 humanity in action diplomacy and diversity fellowship. 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. Protecting in libya on behalf of the international community. Libya, the responsibility to protect, and double standards 03282011 11. To begin with, the recent intervention in libya was unprecedented insofar as authorization of use of force by the security council to prevent an expected massacre was what kinsman called the inaugural application of the responsibility to protect 2011, p. Presented below are some previous works made by researchers on the subject.
Revisiting responsibility to protect after libya and syria. When violent conflicts between the government and the opposition arose in both countries in 2011, different international bodies reported on mass atrocity crimes committed by the government forces against civilians. The responsibility to protect in the libyan intervention. The applicability of the responsibility to protect or r2p principle to the current situation in libya is undeniable. The responsibility to protect in libya and syria the. They called upon the libyan authorities to act with restraint, to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, and to allow immediate. Responsibility to protect, libya, refugees, migration, unhcr, spcp. Responsibility to protect through articles, calls for action and opeds. Concept and implementation, opportunity and misuse the r2p attempt failed in libya dr. 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.
This post draws on the discussion surrounding rtop, its application in the context. Sudan, south sudan, the democratic republic of the congo, libya, cote divoire, yemen and mali. Libya and the future of the responsibility to protect 3 by the popularization of the concepts of human security and civilian protection, even though each organization has adopted a somewhat different reading of these concepts. Implications of the conflicts in libya and syria for the. Three days later, the human rights council hrc adopted resolution s152. Debating the responsibility to protect in libya, syria. On march 26, 2015, a coalition of gulf states led by saudi arabia launched a military intervention into yemens ongoing civil war. The security councils press statement on libya yesterday included a phrase that ought to pique some interest. The responsibility to protect r2p doctrine, after its first ever implementation in libya, has halted in syria. Responsibility to protect the cases of libya and the ivory. An introduction palgrave macmillan, 2010 kosovo, intervention and statebuilding editor, routledge, 2010. Supporters of the idea of a responsibility to protect have to be troubled that brazil, india, and south africa all abstained on the syria vote even though it. Aus responsibility to protect in the libyan crisis 2011. Libya and the responsibility to protect united states.
Libya, the responsibility to protect and the future of humanitarian intervention a. Presentation by professor the hon gareth evans, former australian foreign minister, president emeritus of the international crisis group and chancellor of the australian national university, to directors seminar, belfer center, harvard kennedy school of government, 12 november 2015. Apr 06, 2015 responsibility to protect r2p panacea or trojan horse for intervention. Libya and the responsibility to protectby charli carpenterdownload the full article.
In the last three years, r2p has failed to find a way to syria to stop the most tragic humanitarian catastrophe of recent years, a catastrophe that has seen more than 120,000 syrians already killed, millions more internally displaced or forced to seek refuge in. Pdf revisiting responsibility to protect after libya. If the responsibility to protect doctrine had been respected and taken seriously in 2011, the libyan intervention would not have happened. Sazetak the article explores the nonapplication of the responsibility to protect rtop doctrine in crises in libya and syria. Libya and cote divoire book pdf free download link or read online here in pdf. May 02, 2015 the genesis of the doctrinetheory of the responsibility to protect r2prtop was supposed to resolve some of the problems associated with humanitarian intervention as an additional exception to the nonuse of force in international law. But whilst the response to libya marks a number of significant milestones, it is important to stress that the responsibility to protect rtop does not begin and end with libya.
The responsibility to protect after libya and syria by. This article explores the role that the responsibility to protect r2p played in the 2011 intervention in libya. The failure of the libyan war and the responsibility to. Mar 01, 2011 libya and the responsibility to protect. The investigation demonstrated that the use and lack of use of r2p in regards to syria and libya have strong connections to postcolonial features. The african union, responsibility to protect and the libyan. Mar 30, 2011 but whilst the response to libya marks a number of significant milestones, it is important to stress that the responsibility to protect rtop does not begin and end with libya. Between opportunistic humanitarianism and valuefree pragmatism. It presents reflections of a historical kind on state sovereignty, international community. Opinion libya and the responsibility to protect the new. 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.
The complete book is available for purchase on amazon. The members of the security council called on the government of libya to meet its responsibility to protect its population. The last is the recommendation to implement responsibility while protecting rwp principle in the r2p framework. Citing the need to uphold the responsibility to protect populations from mass atrocities, many civil society groups called on the libyan government to halt the violence and, in the face of its clear reluctance to do so. Rhetoric, reality and the future of humanitarian intervention palgrave macmillan, 2012 international law, security and ethics coeditor, routledge, 2011 humanitarian intervention. Among various refrains is the claim that responsibility to protect r2p doctrine lacks moral strength if applied. 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. In 2011 the united nations security council legitimised a nofly zone over libya under the normative rubric of the responsibility to protect r2p. Libya and cote divoire book pdf free download link book now. The concept of responsibility to protect and the libya.
For 350 years since westphalia, sovereignty functioned as institutionalised indifference. This article examines the political challenges that shape the practice of r2p, as well as the discourse that informs it. Interviewed by bbc monitoring middle east on bbc news, 1 march thakur, r. In 2010 and 2011, the council held 24 meetings regarding the situation in libya, including one private. Amis merged with unamid on 31 december 2007, creating a hybrid mission of. Lessons learned from responsibility to protect r2p in libya. Proponents of the responsibility to protect doctrine, commonly referred to as r2p, claim that it came of age with natos successful military intervention to protect the civilian population in libya. Responsibility to protect and responsibility to react from doctrine to practice. Though the intervention likely prevented a slaughter, there is no guarantee that it wont simply protract a. The bricibsa countries brazil, russia, india, china, and south africa. First, we recapitulate the emergence of r2p and the. A critical assessment of the application of responsibility to. The first is from jonas claes, program specialist at the united states institute for peace center for conflict analysis and prevention.
The responsibility to protect rtop or r2p is an international security and human rights norm to prevent and stop genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Pdf the responsibility to protect r2p after libya researchgate. In response to muammar elqaddafis continued assaults on. The responsibility to protect rtop played an important role in shaping the worlds response to actual and threatened atrocities in libya. Responsibility to protect to justify libya intervention steven groves this paper, in its entirety, can be found at. To this end, i will explore the role of the r2p principle with regard to the current challenges. The international system is characterized by increased instability, the sharpening of deadly conflicts, mass atrocities and the emergence of transnational extremists armed groups such as the islamic state of iraq and syria isis. The coalition justified its entry into the conflict principally by reference to its responsibility to protect the people and the legitimate government of yemen. The responsibility to protect after libya and syria the. A third dimension the twodimensional view may afford greater insight into such episodes, but it offers only a qualified form of behaviourism, lukes notes. 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. Libya and the future of the responsibility to protect.
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