“In both Libya and Côte d’Ivoire, regimes that had lost domestic and international legitimacy declared war on their own people. In both, global political responses were
shaped by universal values as well as strategic interests. Because the UN is taking the lead in redefining sovereignty
by aligning state prerogatives with the will and consent of the people, the ruling class of any country must now fear the risk and threat of international economic, criminal
justice and military action if they violate global standards of conduct and cross UN red lines of behaviour. The two operations in Libya and Côte d’Ivoire therefore mark a pivotal rebalancing of interests and values. In the old world order, international politics, like all politics, was a struggle for power. R2P responds to the idealised United Nations as the symbol of an imagined
and constructed community of strangers.”
