This research compares the response of the United Nations during the Arab spring of 2011. I try to find an answer to the question of why the United Nations did intervene in Libya and not in Syria....Show moreThis research compares the response of the United Nations during the Arab spring of 2011. I try to find an answer to the question of why the United Nations did intervene in Libya and not in Syria. With this research, I try to contribute to the earlier research of Hultman (2012) were she argues that one-sided violence is a strong predictor for United Nations interventions. I analyze the cases of Libya and Syria with a comparative case study design. Libya and Syria have a lot of similarities in the start and outcome of the conflicts. The only thing different is the response of the international community. In Libya the United Nations did intervene, in Syria they did not. I found that in the case of Libya one-sided violence was indeed the reason of intervention. However, in the case of Syria, it was not. I found that all (draft) resolutions on Syria and Libya were related to one-sided violence. However, in the case of Syria, one-sided violence did not result in an United Nations intervention. I argue that although one-sided violence is a great concern to all member states of the United Nations Security Council, it is for several members of the Security Council not always important enough to start an intervention.Show less
