The Principle of Responsibility to Protect: A Violation of States’ Territorial Integrity, The case of Libya 2011.

Abstract

The American-NATO coalition intervened in the Libyan civil crisis of 2011, supposedly acting under the principle of Responsibility to Protect. The intervention, which had the backing of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) led to an infringement on the Territorial Integrity of Libya. The UN Security Council passed a Resolution 1973 on Libya which authorized the intervention acting under the Principle of Responsibility to protect which consequently disregarded Libya‟s Territorial Integrity under the Law of Nations. The ensuing altercation constitutes the problem of this study. The paper aimed at establishing that Responsibility to protect is a violation of states‟ territorial integrity, using the Libya Crisis of 2011 as a case study. Adopting a Descriptive research process, data was obtained from secondary sources. Data gathered was analysed using Descriptive data analysis. Findings from this paper established that the United Nations Security Council disregarded the supremacy of a states‟ Territorial Integrity as enshrined in the United Nations Charter and authorized an intervention which does not uphold it. Conclusively, the American-NATO intervention under the principle of Responsibility to protect in Libya 2011 became a violation of the Libyan Territorial Integrity. The work submitted by recommending that the United Nations must ensure total compliance to the coded international laws in the UN Charter so as to avoid abuse by some member nations and to make certain that the Charter remains the standard for relations amongst Nations, especially as it concerns disputes.