ABSTRACT: This article sheds light on the intervention in Libya through the lens of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). This, together with the deployment of Just War theory, will help explain some of the nuances surrounding the legitimacy of the Libyan intervention in 2011. The work is based on providing a suitable context for the rise of an effective opposition in Libya and the brutality of the Gaddafi regime in its bid to quell the unrest. After this is complete, an evaluation of the R2P is undertaken—together with elements of Just War Theory (JWT).
Keywords: Arab Spring, Libya, Gaddafi, Responsibility to Protect, United Nations Security Council, Resolution 1973, Just War Theory