The Political and Legal Aspects of NATO Military Intervention in ‎Libya

The UN Security Council resolution 1970 was adopted in February 26, 2011 referring to article 42 of the Charter of the United Nations and reacting to what was called 'violation of human rights and murder of non-military defenseless humans by Libyan regime' and enforced some restrictions against the Libyan government. With escalating violence, the Security Council adopted resolution 1973 in March 17, 2011. The second resolution with a general reference to chapter 7 of the UN Charter defined no-fly zone against the Libyan government and emphasized protection of civilians. However, the immediate military operation by NATO for implementation of no-fly zone and protection of civilians due to the requirements and its nature could not be justified under article 41 and reference to article 42 did not have any ground. The present article aims to give a political and legal assessment of the developments in this regard and to study the steps taken by NATO in Libya in the framework of humanitarian intervention.