No news has been invading the media as much as the Libyan revolution has, and that is saying a lot since there is chaos in quite a few countries and the natural disasters in Japan. What started out as a simple “demonstration against poor housing conditions” has turned into civil war. The commotion pits long-standing ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and his loyalists against the opposition forces, who, up until the coalition forces’ intervention approval on 17 March, were solely Libyans. The intervention came at severe disagreement between nations and people within each nation. France was the first to recognize the “Transitional National Council,” the opposition, as the “legitimate government of Libya.” What followed was a series of meetings and debates, escalating to a NATO-forced no-fly zone and, later, a no-drive zone. As the clashes continue as this paper is being written, it is important to understand both sides of the argument: those for the intervention and those opposing it. From the UN’s ‘duty’ to protect and the growing view of oil interest, much has yet to be learned of the Libya question.
Firstly, and probably most importantly, there is the whole dilemma of the West’s ‘right,’ ‘duty,’ ‘responsibility’ – or whatever it is called these days – to protect the innocent civilians of any given country. That is, after all, the purpose of the United Nations. However, with so many failures throughout history, and so many disasters permitted – to be mentioned and discussed throughout the paper – one might wonder where exactly lie the priorities of the West, the protectors of democracy. In a much divided matter – speaking of the intervention in Libya – those who use the aforementioned ‘protection’ excuse attempt to label the Liby...
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The physical and mental intent to destroy another being often unveils the darkest side of human nature. In the memoir, “An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography” dedicated to the Rwandan genocide, war hero Paul Rusesabagina states: “A sad truth of human nature is that it is hard to care for people when they are abstractions, hard to care when it is not you or somebody close to you. Unless the world community can stop finding ways to dither in the face of this monstrous threat to humanity those words never again will persist in being one of the most abused phrases in the English language and one of the greatest lies of our time.” The United Nations promised never again would they allow genocide to occur after the Second World War. Unfortunately, less
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The Syrian Civil War is a good example of world leaders playing by the rules of realism. The civil war began in March of 2011 as part of the Arab Spring, and by July of 2012 17,000 have died and another 170,000 fled the country (Almond). The United Nations Security Council in February of 2012 had tried t...
One of most crucial aspects of humanitarian intervention is the lack of proper motives. As noted by Bush, Martiniello, and Mercer, in the case of Libya and Côte d’Ivoire the Western nations were pursuing their own economic imperial interests under the guise of humanitarian intervention (Bush). The lack of pure motives to help decrease crimes against humanity resulted in an increased number of human rights violations in both Libya and Côte d’Ivoire (Bush). In order
The complex issue of humanitarian intervention is widely argued and inherently controversial. Humanitarian intervention involves the coercive action of states intervening in areas for the sole purpose of preventing or halting the killing or suffering of the people there. (1, 9, 5) It is an issue argued fervently amongst restrictionists and counter-restrictionists, who debate over whether humanitarian intervention is a breach of international law or a moral requirement. (10) Restrictionists argue that Articles 2 (7) and 2 (4) of the United Nations (UN) Charter render forcible humanitarian intervention illegal. The only legitimate exception to this, they claim, is the right to self defence, as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. (1-472) This position is contested by counter-restrictionists, who insist that any and all nations have the right, and the responsibility, to prevent humanitarian disasters. (8-5) Despite the declaration of a ‘new world order’, the post-Cold war world has not been a more peaceful one: regional and ethnic conflicts have, in fact, proliferated. Between 1989 and 1993, for example, thirteen new peacekeeping operations were launched by th...
..., town by town, to brutalize men, women and children, the world refused to stand idly by”. This refers to the notion that when one state is suffering, that is when international relations has to kick into gear and help out. But was there an incentive for the international system to help Libya(oil maybe?). Specifically a unipolar superpower like the US. They didn’t help in Tunisia or Egypt, why Libya in particular? During the revolution, NATO backed the Libyan rebels and cause them to win vey battles during the civil war. US made a promise to continue to help Libya in its’ pursuit of democracy, but it looks as though Libya is going to have to figure this part of it fate on its own as most countries are staying away at the moment. But when the economy is up and running, and oil production is back at its peaks, What will the international system look like for Libya then?
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