Cosmopolitanism, Responsibility to Protect and the Libya Intervention: A Reassessment

Abstract

Protection of civilians has remained problematic either when it occurs or when it does not. And this has generated heated debate among several theoretical schools, with grave consequences for international relations theorising. The Libya crisis in 2011 represents one of those cases that has led to arguments and counter-arguments, particularly on justification, agency, means and outcomes of the intervention. This study interrogates as to what extent cosmopolitanism shaped the need to protect civilians in the Libya crisis, the successes, challenges and the consequences of cosmopolitanism on the Libya intervention. The study argues that even though cosmopolitanism bears a large part in informing the need to protect civilians in Libya, the way and manner the intervention turns out to be poses a serious challenge to cosmopolitanism. Hence, there is the need for cosmopolitanism to think beyond justifying intervention to monitoring actors involved, institutions, intervention processes as well as the post-intervention era, especially in terms of rebuilding.