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Libya: What Went Wrong in 2011?

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Abstract

In the spring of 2011, the events in Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and other countries, the Arab Awakening/Arab Spring, brought reports of escalating violence and heavy-handed response of authorities. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi to stop violence and to start the transition to a new democratic system of governance in Libya. The Security Council made a historic decision and invoked its responsibility to protect civilians from violence. Whatever the initial intention, NATO air strikes caused great controversy, deteriorating humanitarian situation, destruction, civilian casualties and regime change. Libya descended into an unprecedented violence between rival armed formations and became a launch pad for thousands of migrants.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    SG/SM/17177, 2 October 2015.

  2. 2.

    SC/10241, 6528th Meeting (AM), 4 May 2011.

  3. 3.

    DPB, 22 February 2011; SC/10180-AFR/2120, 22 February 2011; SC/10185, 6490th Meeting (PM), 25 February 2011.

  4. 4.

    SG/SM/13410, 23 February 2011; SG/SM/13418-SC/10186-AFR/2124, 25 February 2011; SC/10187/Rev.1, 6491st Meeting (PM), 26 February 2011. The Council recognized that States not party to the Rome Statute that established the Court had no obligations to cooperate. Brazil expressed strong reservations to this exemption, saying it was not helpful to advance the cause of justice and accountability. Ibid.

  5. 5.

    DPB, 28 February 2011; SG/SM/13425-GA/11051-AFR/2130, 1 March 2011; Press Conference on Work of ICC , 1 March 2011; GA/11050, Sixty-fifth General Assembly Plenary 76th Meeting (PM), 1 March 2011.

  6. 6.

    The designation the TNC changed in the summer 2011 to the National Transitional Council (NTC); SG/SM/13425-GA/11051-AFR/2130, 1 March 2011; DPB, 10 March 2011; SG/SM/13449-AFR/2143, 16 March 2011.

  7. 7.

    SG/SM/13425-GA/11051-AFR/2130, 1 March 2011; DPB, 25 March 2011.

  8. 8.

    SC/10200, 6498th Meeting, 17 March 2011.

  9. 9.

    SG/SM/13461-AFR/2146, 21 March 2011; SC/10210, 6505th Meeting (PM), 24 March 2011; SG/SM/13475-SC/10211-AFR/2150, 24 March 2011.

  10. 10.

    DPB, 23 March 2011; SG/SM/13471-AFR/2149, 23 March 2011; SG/SM/13475-SC/10211-AFR/2150, 24 March 2011.

  11. 11.

    SG/T/2773, 21 March 2011; DPB, 25 March 2011; SG/SM/13485-AFR/215, 29 March 2011; DPB, 29 March 2011; DPB, 30 March 2011; SG/SM/13508-AFR/2162, 13 April 2011; DPB, 20 April 2011; DPB, 28 April 2011.

  12. 12.

    SC/10240, 6527th Meeting (PM), 3 May 2011.

  13. 13.

    SC/10240, 6527th Meeting (PM), 3 May 2011; SC/10244, 9 May 2011; SC/10266, 6541st Meeting (AM), 31 May 2011.

  14. 14.

    SC/10266, 6541st Meeting (AM), 31 May 2011; SC/10280, 6555th Meeting (AM), 15 June 2011.

  15. 15.

    Press Conference by South African Minister on Climate Change Convention Conference, 16 June 2011.

  16. 16.

    SC/10297, 6566th Meeting (AM), 27 June 2011; DPB, 29 June 2011.

  17. 17.

    SC/10297, 6566th Meeting (AM), 27 June 2011; SC/10346, 6595th Meeting (AM), 28 July 2011; DPB, 11 July 2011.

  18. 18.

    DPB, 22 August 2011; DPB,  23 August 2011; SC/10374, 6606th Meeting (PM), 30 August 2011.

  19. 19.

    SG/SM/13764-SC/10375-AFR/2237, 30 August 2011; SG/SM/13816-AFR/2249, 20 September 2011; GA/11137, Sixty-sixth General Assembly Plenary 2nd Meeting (AM), 16 September 2011.

  20. 20.

    SC/10389, 6620th Meeting (PM), 16 September 2011; Press Conference by Special Representative of Secretary-General for Libya , 20 October 2011; DPB, 26 October 2011; Press Conference by Prosecutor of ICC , 15 December 2011.

  21. 21.

    SG/SM/13896-AFR/2271, 24 October 2011; SC/10424, 6640th Meeting (AM), 27 October 2011; SC/10459, 6669th Meeting (PM), 28 November 2011.

  22. 22.

    SC/10422, 6639th Meeting (AM), 26 October 2011; DPB, 16 December 2011; SG/SM/14021, Press Conference by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon , 14 December 2011; DPB, 16 December 2011. At the briefing in Moscow , Spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry criticized Ban Ki-moon for his statement on 14 December 2011 regarding NATO ’s strict adherence to the resolution 1973 as not taking into consideration the positions of all Member States. See DPB, 23 December 2011. The ICC’s Commission found that the NATO had not deliberately targeted civilians in Libya . Of a total of 25,944 air sorties and 7642 air-to-surface weapons employed, the Commission cited evidence with respect to five air strikes, which reportedly had produced civilian casualties. See Press Conference by Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Libya Elections, 9 July 2012.

  23. 23.

    SC/10535-AFR/2329, 31 January 2012; SG/SM/14083, Press Conference by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at United Nations Headquarters, 25 January 2012; SC/10533, 6709th Meeting, 26 January 2012; DPB, 31 January 2012; SC/10570, 6731st Meeting, 7 March 2012.

  24. 24.

    SC/10710, 6807th Meeting, 18 July 2012; SC/10760, 6832nd Meeting, 12 September 2012.

  25. 25.

    SC/10902, 6912th Meeting, 29 January 2013; SC/10939, 6934th Meeting, 14 March 2013; SC/11175, 7059th Meeting, 14 November 2013.

  26. 26.

    SC/11036, 6981st Meeting, 18 June 2013; SC/11123, 7031st Meeting, 16 September 2013.

  27. 27.

    SC/11000, 6962nd Meeting, 8 May 2013; SC/11036, 6981st Meeting, 18 June 2013.

  28. 28.

    SC/11311, 7130th Meeting, 10 March 2014; SC/11325, 7142nd Meeting, 19 March 2014; SC/11393, 7173rd Meeting, 13 May 2014.

  29. 29.

    SC/11433, 7194th Meeting, 9 June 2014; SC/11447-AFR/2914, 23 June 2014; SC/11478, 7218th Meeting, 17 July 2014.

  30. 30.

    SC/11433, 7194th Meeting, 9 June 2014; DPB, 14 July 2014; SC/11478, 7218th Meeting, 17 July 2014; SC/11537, 7251st Meeting, 27 August 2014; SC/11479-AFR/2937, Press Release on Libya , 17 July 2014.

  31. 31.

    SC/11537, 7251st Meeting, 27 August 2014; SC/11560, 7264th Meeting, 15 September 2014; SG/SM/16202-AFR/2975, 25 September 2014.

  32. 32.

    SG/SM/16202-AFR/2975, 25 September 2014; SG/SM/16249, 11 October 2014; DPB, 6 November 2014; SC/11640, 7306th Meeting, 11 November 2014.

  33. 33.

    SC/11692, 7335th Meeting, 11 December 2014; DPB, 20 February 2015; SC/11971, 7485th Meeting, 15 July 2015.

  34. 34.

    SC/11788, 7387th Meeting, 18 February 2015; DPB, 20 February 2015; SG/SM/16930-AFR/3177, 12 July 2015; SC/11971, 7485th Meeting, 15 July 2015; SG/SM/17177, 2 October 2015.

  35. 35.

    SC/12072, 7532nd Meeting, 9 October 2015.

  36. 36.

    SC/12039, 7520th Meeting, 10 September 2015; SC/12105, 7549th Meeting, 5 November 2015; SC/12106, 7550th Meeting, 5 November 2015; SC/12156, 7577th Meeting, 11 December 2015; SG/SM/17426-AFR/3292, 17 December 2015; SC/12185, 7598th Meeting, 23 December 2015.

  37. 37.

    GA/11764, Seventieth Session, Thematic Panel, 26 February 2016; SC/12270, 7640th Meeting (AM), 2 March 2016; DPB, 2 May 2016; DPB, 17 May 2016; SC/12377, 7698th Meeting (AM), 26 May 2016.

  38. 38.

    SC/12390, 7706th Meeting (PM), 6 June 2016.

  39. 39.

    SC/12515, 7769th Meeting (PM), 13 September 2016; SC/12543, 7783rd Meeting (PM), 6 October 2016.

  40. 40.

    SC/12390, 7706th Meeting (PM), 6 June 2016; SC/12611, 6 December 2016, 7827th Meeting (AM); SC/12613, 7 December 2016.

  41. 41.

    SC/12583, 7806th Meeting (PM), 9 November 2016; SC/12622, 7832nd Meeting (AM), 13 December 2016.

  42. 42.

    SG/SM/13418-SC/10186-AFR/2124, 25 February 2011.

  43. 43.

    SG/SM/13425-GA/11051-AFR/2130, 1 March 2011; SG/SM/13418-SC/10186-AFR/2124, 25 February 2011.

  44. 44.

    DSG/SM/1031, 8 December 2016.

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Correspondence to Marcel Jesenský .

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Jesenský, M. (2019). Libya: What Went Wrong in 2011?. In: The United Nations under Ban Ki-moon. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12220-1_9

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