Libya, Responsibility to Protect and UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

On March 17th 2011, the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 1973 that paved the way for the NATO-led military operation in Libya. It was the first time a resolution authorized the use of force against a functioning government in order to protect civilians. It was also arguably the first time the concept of "responsibility to protect" (RtoP) was alluded to in the in the text of a resolution. This paper analyzes the provisions of the resolution as well as the declarations made by the representatives of the Security Council member states, and highlights the particular dynamics between member states that mostly supported the resolution and those who were opposed to it but did not vote against it. Through that analysis, it seeks to shed light on the factors that allowed such a resolution to be passed, with a special emphasis on the role, if any, RtoP played in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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