Syria is not Libya. The resolution on Syria is not like the ones on Libya.

One of the main arguments for China, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and others that oppose the adoption of the UNSC resolution dealing with Syria is that it will open the same door that S/RES/1970 and S/RES/1973 did when dealing with Libya. As careful readers of this blog might have concluded these resolutions are similarities, but are very far apart when it comes to actual mechanisms envisioned to change the behavior of their targets. There are clear similarities between the two resolutions on Libya and the proposed draft on Syria, but at the same time there are substantive differences that make the resolution completely different in character and severity of condemnation.

How the Council Really Authorized Action in Libya. Part 2 - S/RES/1973

Before the ink was a month old in S/RES/1970, the Security Council voted and approved S/RES/1973. This new resolution already claims that the previous resolutions was a failure and that more actions are needed. S/RES/1973 moves from article 41 to Chapter VII as a whole, enforcing a no-fly zone and trying to go a step further than the previous resolutions, but also aiming at softening the current Libyan leadership stranglehold in their population and trying to account for crimes against humanity that ought to be take to the ICC in the current view of the UNSC. Additionally, with the new resolution it comes also a new bureaucracy to handle the tasks put forward at it, in this case is a panel of experts.

How the Council Authorized Action on Libyan. Part 1 - S/RES/1970

Under the titled “Peace and Security in Africa” of S/RES/1970, the United Nations Security Council issued one of two resolutions that currently serves as the basis of support for the action in Libya by Western countries. The resolution itself is based largely on the concept of responsibility to protect, an element that is being developed under the aegis of the United Nations and other international bodies that are still far from being established international law. The concerns on this concept have been explored elsewhere, this piece will focus on how it was applied in the case of Libya. The underlining rational that supports S/RES/1970 is based on alleviating the suffering of local population under the international responsibility to protect while reaffirming their commitment to Libyan sovereignty in all its elements. The resolution acts under Chapter VII, which deals with threats to peace and security, but under the article 41, that deals with means to tackle those threats not involving armed forces.