A feminist analysis on the responsibility to protect: The case of Libya

In 2005, the responsibility to protect was approved at the UN World Summit, and UN member states recognized that each state is primarily responsible for protecting its people. According to the responsibility to protect, if a state is unable or unwilling to protect its people, then the responsibility to protect people passes to the international community. When the responsibility to protect is analyzed from a feminist perspective, it becomes clear that women are excluded from the decision-making processes of the responsibility to protect and are seen as victims rather than actors. The fact that the responsibility to protect focuses on state sovereignty/security rather than human security is another point criticized by feminism. In the context of feminist analyses, the use of armed force in the responsibility to protect is opposed, and the focus is on both not using armed force and giving importance to prevention activities to prevent worse consequences. In this study, the responsibility to protect in the context of feminism is analyzed through the case of Libya. Although it is said that the intervention in Libya was carried out for the protection of people within the scope of the responsibility to protect, it is seen that the intervention served the realpolitik objectives of the states. In the case of Libya, women, who are associated with rape and seen as victims, are also brought to the forefront to legitimize the intervention. The inadequate representation of women in the peace-building processes in Libya within the scope of the responsibility to protect reveals the masculine nature of the responsibility to protect. From a feminist perspective, women are expected to play a role in peace processes, but the Libyan example shows this is not the case.