This study started from the concept of the responsibility to protect (RtoP, R2P) which was applied to the situation of Libya in 2011. The case of Libya was the first application of the responsibility to protect and the United Nations (UN) Security Cou...
This study started from the concept of the responsibility to protect (RtoP, R2P) which was applied to the situation of Libya in 2011. The case of Libya was the first application of the responsibility to protect and the United Nations (UN) Security Council adopted resolutions on Libya by using the term of the responsibility to protect. Therefore it is important to conduct research on the legitimacy of the actual application of the responsibility to protect itself. It can have influences on the international society's actions when the next possible cases happen.
In 2000, the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) introduced the concept of the responsibility to protect. Before the concept was introduced, there was the idea of the humanitarian intervention, which was highly criticized for its vagueness and use of force without the UN Security Council's authorization. The discussion on the responsibility to protect began with the controversies surrounding the concept of the humanitarian intervention, and the UN has been elucidating the concept by publishing reports and adopting resolutions until now. For this reason, this study also conducted research on the concept and controversies of the humanitarian intervention to clearly conceptualize the concept of the responsibility to protect.
The responsibility to protect has been developed through the UN's official reports and publications, and some of the reports were adopted as the official resolutions. The research includes document and content analysis on the official UN publications, reports, speeches, and resolutions. The concept of the responsibility to protect and the application of the concept to Libyan conflict in 2011 are examined to evaluate its legitimacy.
A prerequisite for the concept of the responsibility to protect is a sovereign state's primary responsibility to protect its populations. If the sovereign state fails to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, the international society can carry out the responsibility and help the state carry out the responsibility. It can be authorized only by the UN Security Council and the measures should only be taken under the UN Charter.
The application of the responsibility to protect to Libya in 2011 reflects on the theoretical concept of the responsibility to protect. The resolutions which included the term of the 'responsibility to protect' were adopted and during the Libyan civil war, the international society took measures under the UN Security Council's resolutions. However, despite the fact that the application to Libya well reflects on the core concepts of the responsibility to protect, there were drawbacks. Some of the actions taken by the international society raised criticism for excessive military use, the possibility of interference in the domestic matters and states' strategic approach to hold advantageous positions in the future.
The responsibility to protect applied to Libya shows a possibility to develop into international norm, or state practice. It can be applicable to other states' cases under humanitarian crisis, especially when North Korea shows sudden changes.