Libyan Crisis: Illusion of International Norms or Realities of Modern Humanitarian Intervention?

The place of norms in international affairs is a subject long discussed, but the concerns persist even in the 21st century. Indeed, the turbulence in the world never ends but shifts. Once a region is seemingly enjoying stability and peace, others struggle to deal with instability and turbulence. The affected regions, when it degenerates into uncontrollable crises or unthinkable human rights abuse, require some interventions to reduce the casualties and save lives. Therefore, the need to intervene is not a bad thing, rather the inherent motivations and justifications for the course often is. Are humanitarian interventions really driven by norms or interest? The paper attempts to interrogate this simple but complex question using the post Gaddafi Libya as an example. The paper argues that the projection of norms as the motivation for modern humanitarian interventions are more palpable and a sideshow of the great powers. The paper relied heavily on desk review of secondary data.