Western Intervention in the Middle East and North Africa

The 'Responsibility to Protect' in Libya, Syria and Beyond
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-70595-8
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 250 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 453 g

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics

Western Intervention in the Middle East and North Africa: The ‘Responsibility to Protect’ in Libya, Syria and Beyond offers a groundbreaking investigation into one of the most contested questions in international relations: why states intervene to stop mass atrocities in some contexts but not in others.

Focusing on the United States and the United Kingdom, this book examines two pivotal cases - Libya (2011) and Syria (2011–2013) - to reveal how decisions under the third pillar of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) are shaped less by universal norms than by nationally constructed identities and interests. Through detailed case studies, qualitative interviews, and extensive engagement with social constructivist theory, the book demonstrates how the U.S. and U.K. positioned themselves as ‘intervener’ in Libya but as ‘non-intervener’ in Syria, and how the Libya experience itself influenced subsequent restraint in Syria. By tracing the complex interaction of social, political, and institutional factors, it challenges the assumption that R2P operates as a purely international agenda and instead uncovers the national-level dynamics that determine whether and how military interventions occur.

Essential reading for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in international relations, human rights, and Middle East and North African studies, this book provides critical insights into the politics of atrocity prevention and highlights the nuanced conditions required for future third pillar responses.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jackson, Josephine

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Staatsbürgerkunde, Staatsbürgerschaft, Zivilgesellschaft
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Introduction

I. Introduction

Situating an Old Problem Within a Contemporary Context

The R2P: Establishment and Advancement

II. Analytical Framework

Constructivism: Social Realities of International Relations

Constructivism and R2P in Research

III. Methodology

Case Study Selection and Justification – Why Libya and Syria?

Data Generation

Successes, Challenges, and Limitations

IV. Book Structure

Chapter 2 Background of Libya and Syria: Instability, Tensions, and Abuses

I. Introduction

II. Libya – Background

Instability of the State

The Role of Outside Powers

Human Rights Abuses

The Arab Spring Arrives in Libya

III. Syria – Background

Instability of the State

The Role of Outside Powers

Human Rights Abuses

The Arab Spring Arrives in Syria

IV. Conclusion

Chapter 3 R2P in Perception (Pre-Intervention): History, Knowledge, and Influences

I. Introduction

II. U.S.-U.K. Actor Perceptions of R2P

The Need for R2P: Rwanda, Srebrenica, and Kosovo

The Road to R2P: Advocacy and Engagement

R2P as a Humanitarian Concept: Unfamiliarity and Unawareness

R2P Implementation: Actor Ideas About Best Practices

III. Situating R2P Strategies in Context

The U.S., the U.K., and Libya: Missing Links

The ‘Benghazi Moment’: Accelerating the Response

U.N. Security Council Membership: Gatekeepers for R2P

IV. National Interests, Responsibilities, and Limitations

No Common Cause: Widening the National Interest

The Resources Problem: Priorities and Deficiencies

The Pressure Builds: Decision Points and R2P

V. Conclusion

Chapter 4 R2P in Practice (Intervention): Applications, Problems, and Adjustments

I. Introduction

II. The Early Stage: An Intervention Dilemma

From Operation Odyssey Dawn (OOD) to Operation Unified Protector (OUP): No Simple Way

Undertaking Third Pillar Intervention: The Problem of Who

NATO Clears the Threshold: Transitioning, Shadowing, and Advancing

III. The Mid/Late Stages: Hard Realities of Intervention

NATO’s First Battle: Making the System Work

Shaping R2P: Language, Meanings, and Standards

OUP Becomes Intensified: NATO’s Challenges and Problems

OUP in Paralysis: The Intentions and the Activities

OUP Concludes: The End
IV. Conclusion

Chapter 5 R2P in Reflection: Learning, Evaluation, and Deliberation

I. Introduction

II. Libya

OUP’s Successes and Accomplishments

OUP’s Failings and Lessons

The Post-OUP Clash of Visions

III. Syria

Engendering Non-Intervention: Misconceptions, Overlearning, and
the Escalation Dynamic

Seminal Yet Insufficient: The Shabbiha, Homs, and Ghouta

U.N. Security Council Dynamics: The Struggle for Results

Weighing Militarized Intervention: What It Would Take

IV. Conclusion

Chapter 6 Conclusion

References

Appendix I: Text of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P)

Appendix II: Personal Interviews with Author

Appendix III: List of Abbreviations

Über Autor(innen)

Josephine S. Jackson is an academic-practitioner, working in both policy and academia. She was recently an Associate Lecturer in Foundation History and International Relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She continues to be involved with St Andrews’ Centre for Global Law and Governance and the Institute for Middle East, Central Asia, and Caucasus Studies. Her research focuses on U.S. and U.K. foreign policy and national security; NATO decision-making and the use of force; Western Europe, Middle East, and North Africa regions; genocide and mass atrocity prevention and response; Responsibility to Protect (R2P); international humanitarian law and ethics; and ethical governance of artificial intelligence and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). She is a Truman National Security Fellow and mentors the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs’ Carnegie Ethics Fellows.