KORUMA SORUMLULUGU KAVRAMI VE LIBYA OPERASYONU

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the historical evolution, content, and critiques of the concept of the responsibility to protect (R2P), which has been developed in place of the controversial concept of humanitarian intervention. The concept, which was first comprehensively evaluated in a report by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty in 2001, is seen as an important attempt to shape the stance of the international community over the internal conflicts that have frequently erupted after the Cold War. The evolution of the concept into an international norm that guides state policies is closely related to the success of operations based on the concept. In this context, the Libya Operation (Operation Odyssey Dawn), which was implemented by NATO as a result of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, constitutes the case study of this article. The UNSC resolutions related to the operation rely upon three key elements: the concept of the Responsibility to Protect, Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, and the responses of regional organizations towards the operation. It is possible to conclude that the operation is legal by considering these factors. Yet, the use of excessive power during the operation, the key actors' behaviors that went beyond the aim of the operation, and the present dilemmas of the responsibility to protect overshadow the legality of the operation. In order to pave the way for this conclusion, the concept of the Responsibility to Protect will be examined first, then the process which led to the operation will be summarized, and finally the Security Council Resolutions that allowed the operation will be analyzed.