International society and responsibility to protect: Cases of Libya and Syria

According to the English School theory, the international society exists, when states convene through common interests, rules and institutions and collaborate at a minimum degree to maintain the international order. One of the discussions within the English School is the pluralist – solidarist debate in connection with order and justice in international society. Both approaches are based on the principles of the sovereignty of states and non-intervention. However, solidarity claims that when states fail to protect or tyrannize their own citizens, these principles may be suspended within the frame of international law. On the other hand pluralism argues that this approach will undermine the international community. The argument that the international community has a common duty to protect humanity and to ensure the security of humanity can be traced back to the 17th century. This debate has come to the force once more due to the fact that the international community did not take action or was rather too late to take action and the concept of responsibility to protect has been put forward. The appearance of the responsibility to protect in the 2005 World Summit Document, and the following clarification of the concept's scope in the UN Security Council Resolutions have brought about the perception that the international society presents a solidarist structure Hereunder, in cases where states are unable or unwilling to protect its citizens, the international community is primarily responsible for helping to boost the capacity increase of the related state and then to protect the people who are under threat. The goal of the study is to reveal whether the international community is pluralist or solidarist. In this context, within the scope of Libya and Syria cases under which conditions the responsibility to protect norm has been functionalized is examined through the great power management, balance of power, diplomacy and international law which are the institutions of the international community.