International Organizations Positions In The 2011 Libyan Revolution

Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya under an autocratic system for over forty years. In the beginning of 2011 waves of protests and demonstrations hit the North African region, demanding regime change from their autocratic governments, these uprisings started from Tunisia, Egypt and later reaching Libya. Unlike Tunisia and Egypt the uprisings and demonstrations in Libya were met with far more resistance by the government forces. The rebels insisted on resisting the government authorities, demanding for Gaddafi to step down from power, which made Gaddafi use force to stop the violence from spreading throughout the country. The use of force towards the civilians and protestors was seen as aggressive and brutal in the international perspective, thus the need for the United Nations to interfere for the responsibility to protect civilians and restore peace and security. This thesis will focus on the positions (roles) of four international organizations (UN, NATO, EU and AU); their roles in the Libyan revolution are the very strategic reason for the political change in Libya, thus the end of dictatorship and the end of Gaddafi. In October 2011, the opposition with the help of international organizations succeeded in toppling the Gaddafi Regime. The impacts of the revolution are what have shaped the country of Libya today, the country is far worse than before the revolution, continuous infighting; violence and instability are rocking the nation. This is not what was expected in Libya after the regime change.