Browsing by Author "Murungi, Isaac Muthaura"

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    Humanitarian Intervention and Regime Change: A Case of North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Operation in Libya, 2011-2022
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-10) Murungi, Isaac Muthaura
    This study examined two controversial topics of international relations, namely humanitarian intervention and regime change using the case study of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military intervention in Libya between 2011 and 2022. It begins by first exploring the long term and immediate causes of the Libya’s civil conflict leading to the intervention by the NATO. Secondly, the rationale of the NATO perspective on regime change in Libya is examined. Thirdly, a critique of the role of international community in precipitating regime change in Libya through NATO military intervention is offered. Finally, the effectiveness of the UN imposed transitional regime in meeting the aspirations of the people in post-Gadhafi Libya is assessed. This study was anchored on two classical complementary theories namely; realism and liberalism. On one hand, realism argues that humanitarian intervention by the NATO was motivated by the need to promote NATO’s geopolitical interests while liberalism on the other hand argues that the military intervention by NATO was a long-term process of extending the democratic project in Libya. The divergent views of these two theories have been used to explain the controversy surrounding NATO military intervention and regime change in Libya. The research blended a case study with explanatory research design. The study employed purposive sampling to select 70 informants for interviews including: Libyan citizens, Diplomats in the Libyan Embassy, experts in diplomacy and international relations, NATO officials and Military Attachés. Data was collected using key informant interviews and library research. Collected data was analyzed thematically in line with study objectives. The findings of this study aver that while it is evident that the NATO played a major military role in forestalling the Libyan insurrection, the use of force in supplanting democratically elected government by forcing a regime change was unwarranted. The regime change demonstrates Western powers (NATO) drive in international community to sanction humanitarian intervention against states purported to violate fundamental human rights of their citizens in order to achieve hidden interest of intervening states rather than proclaim state self-preservation and sovereignty of the host nation or state in question. Moreover, the imposed regime and government has been unable to restore political stability in post-Gadhafi Libya. This study recommends that before sanctioning any humanitarian interventions, the UN must clearly spell out the mandate of the intervening regional body. Besides, future intervention measures sanctioned to end human rights violations and abuse should never yield a regime change but restore political stability necessary in humanitarian interventions
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    North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military Intervention and Regime Change in Libya
    (Journal of African Interdisciplinary Studies, 2023) Murungi, Isaac Muthaura; Ichani, Xavier; Otieno, Isaiah Oduor
    The purpose of this article is to examine the activities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations’ (NATO) military intervention and implications on regime change in Libya. The United Nations (UN) continues to sanction humanitarian intervention against states purported to violate fundamental human rights of their citizens. Some of these interventions have transcended to sanctioned regime change that have attracted intense academic discourse. We seek to contribute to this ensuing debate using the case of the NATO’s intervention in Libya, by critique of nature of crisis warranting intervention, the rationale of humanitarian intervention in the context of Libya and to evaluate the role of foreign military intervention in precipitating regime change in Libya. Anchored on the two opposing theoretical paradigms of realism and liberalism, we argue that humanitarian intervention by the NATO was motivated by the need to promote geopolitical interests of the intervenors and that the military intervention by the NATO was anticipated and orchestrated process of extending the Western democratic values in Libya. Based on existing secondary data and interviews conducted, we conclude that while it was evident that the NATO played a major military role in forestalling the Libyan insurrection, the use of force in supplanting democratically elected government was unwarranted and failed to meet the aspirations of many in Libya. Therefore, sanctioned humanitarian intervention against states purported to violate fundamental human rights of their citizens may at times fail to serve the intended goal of self-preservation of the sovereign power of the state in question. We recommend that mandates for all humanitarian interventions be clearly spell out and that interveners’ interests must not override state sovereignty and the aspiration of the people.