The use of force to protect civilians and humanitarian action: the case of Libya and beyond

The Libyan crisis of 2011 has again raised the crucial problem of the choice of
means in protecting civilians. Authorized by the international community as part of
military operations in Libya, the use of force in protecting civilians has revived the
concept of ‘humanitarian war’ and has raised a number of issues for humanitarian
organizations, in particular concerning the notion of neutral, impartial, and
independent humanitarian action.1 The article focuses on these humanitarian issues
and, inter alia, on the possible impact on humanitarian action of the concept of the
Responsibility to Protect (R2P), which was at the basis of the intervention in Libya.