Problems created by Resolution 1973

Comments on Donald R. Rothwell and Hitoshi Nasu “UN Security Council resolutions on Libya and the significance of ‘R2P’”, 8/04/2011, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/04/08/un-security-council-resolutions-on-libya-and-the-significance-of-r2p/

While the intent of "R2P" is undoubtedly good, the outcome of passing Resolution 1973 as that form was not necessarily as good.

It has had too much ambiguity and created opportunities for abuse the "R2P" intent.

Instead of protection, it could be used to kill, albeit in the empty name of protecting.

For example, an independent person would ask the following: were many of the air strike bombings completely necessary for the imposition of no fly zone? Have any of the bombers and fight jets from the enforcers encountered any threats?

Let's be honest, were the bomb and killing of Libyan government military personnel when they didn't engage in killing civilians or when they were in some sort of military facilities that were not engaged in killing civilians justified and justifiable? Just ask for an innocent Libyan soldier why should they be killed while they are not in actions of killing civilians or in fighting with the enforcers, just because they are Libyan government soldiers?

How could anyone say that killing and bombing are humanitarian actions?

Some of the actions have clearly gone significantly beyond the “R2P” as a consequence of the loose and ill-defined (quite deliberately I’d say by some of its authors) Resolution 1973.

If that is international law, it is a dangerous law.

PS: as the authors mentioned the regime change was clearly beyond Resolution 1973. So far it has been clear that some of the leaders involved in the military actions against Libyan government forces simply used it as a cover and excuse to achieve their quite different objectives than the ‘R2P’.

Any arming of the rebels, including external military ground involvement to assist the rebels, would go beyond that. It would not be protecting people, it would magnify and prolong military conflicts and result in more killings and deaths including civilians.