From the perspective of UN peacekeeping operations, was the humanitarian intervention in Libya justified - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Considering both the views listed above and the situation that existed in Libya during the unrest, an important question arises: was humanitarian intervention justified? By considering the systematic violation of human rights by the regime, the aggravating refugee situation and the rampant anarchy, do the UN protocols really reflect changes in international politics? In addition to this, does it justify the need for humanitarian intervention in such a way that the needs of the country are met without negative impacts such as exploitation? Did the situation in Libya really necessitate UN humanitarian intervention? And do the rules and regulations laid down by the UN justify military intervention in Libya under international law? As a result of these questions, the underlying factor that stands is whether there is need to justify the UN Humanitarian Intervention in Libya. In this paper, I shall review the problem statement in order to understand the background of the situation. Review of the various literatures concerning humanitarian intervention with a focus on the United Nation shall then be carried out. I shall then develop a testable hypothesis which will then be tested to show a causal-effect relationship. Problem Statement This research seeks to find out whether UN peace keeping protocols are in compliance with international law on matters regarding military intervention with a focus on the Libyan civil unrest. The research intends to justify the military operation carried out in Libya based on the provisions of the United Nations Security Council charter as well as international law. On February 2011, protests began in Libya to oust the government of Muammar Gaddafi. The protests were part of a bigger revolution that was taking place in most of the Islamic nations at the time including Tunisia, Egypt and Syria (Pargeter, 2012). Gaddafi unleashed his military force on his quest to crush the rebellion. After this, the rebellion spread rapidly throughout Libya and soon Gadhafi lost hold over most of the eastern part of his country. On 26th February 2011, the United Nations Security Council adopted the resolution 1970 calling upon member states to: ensure that no arms exchange took place across their borders to Libya, freeze assets owned by Gaddafi and those in his government allied to him, and to facilitate humanitarian aid in Libya (Cheslow 2012). The resolution however did not ratify the use of military force in Libya. Due to increasing fighting and an increase in oppression of Libyans by Gadhafi’s loyalist, a multistate coalition began military operations on 19th march 2011 (Noueihed 2012). Air strikes against army tanks and bases were carried out thereby frustrating the efforts of Gaddafi’s forces to bring the country to heel. International law generally proscribes that nations should apply the doctrine of non-intervention when dealing with intervention of parties within the territory of a sovereign nation. Von Hippel (1995) defines intervention as the use of coercive tactics to direct a given nation to take a particular course that it would not have likely taken and may involve military action by a foreign power in a domestic conflict. Intervention may take other forms than military ...Download file to see next pagesRead More