Libya, Syria and The Responsibilty to Protect: : A Case Study to determine what accounted for the different outcomes.

Sammanfattning: Abstract: In 2011, the Libyan and Syrian crises caught the attention of the media and international society. Whereas the former reached a positive outcome in compliance with the application of the Responsibility to Protect norm, the latter continues to claim the lives of thousands of people to this day. Despite calls by the international community, China and Russia continue being an impediment for the adoption of measures in Syria in the name of the Responsibility to Protect. Their arguments are in line with the criticized Libyan intervention. Nevertheless, it is possible that the real reasons behind this shift of attitude from one crisis to another, are nothing more than a neo-realistic response to regional politics. Keywords: Libya, Syria, Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), Neo-realism, Social constructivism, China, Russia.