The Jar of Pandora? Striking a Balance between the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and the Stability of International and Regional Peace and Security in Libya

Abstract

Assisting regime-change in Libya by authorising the use of force under Chapter VII of the UN Charter has been praised by many enthusiasts of the ‘responsibility to protect’ as a major step in implementing the concept. Regime-change itself was not mandated by resolutions 1970 and 1973. However, protecting civilians from atrocities was a major (rhetorical) factor, not only in the resolutions themselves but also in diplomatic discussions and media coverage. Yet what if the payoff of such an international policy means opening the metaphorical ‘Jar of Pandora’ by releasing a whole new number of unintended consequences? The contribution considers the situation in Libya itself after the revolution, the significant cross-border effects of regime change upon Mali, and its impact on the full-blown civil war that is being waged in Syria.