Trust or Perish? The Responsibility to Protect and Use of Force in a Changing World Order

Abstract As part of the roundtable, “The Responsibility to Protect in a Changing World Order: Twenty Years since Its Inception,” this essay asks reader consider role that trust, distrust, and ambivalence play enabling constraining use force under pillar three (RtoP). Drawing on interdisciplinary studies it analyzes 2011 military intervention Libya for evidence how help explain positions taken by member states United Nations Security Council. In so doing, challenges mainstream view fallout over represents shift from trust distrust. We find binary portrayal problematic reasons. First, fails take into account space between which we categorize as make sense position Russia China. Second, is important recognize bounded those voted favor going did certain grounds. Third, overemphasizes political fallout, six ten elected continued support intervention. Learning lessons case, conclude highly unlikely Council will authorize fulfill RtoP anytime soon, may have detrimental implications whole.