Limits of Coercive Diplomacy in Internationalized Conflicts: The Case of Libya

The aim of the present study is to demonstrate and analyze the role of multilateral diplomacy in its attempt to resolve the Libyan crisis. The author explores the stages of the crisis, the policies brought forward by individual countries and international organizations involved in dealing with Libyan crisis.

It is obvious that multilateral diplomacy can be crowned with success only on the condition of unanimous approach on the part of key stakeholders. However, “the case of Libya" highlighted deep divisions among the actors both within the UN Security Council and among the powers and other international organizations involved in the conflict. The resistance of a number of oil companies which suffered losses from the sanctions also played a role.The author arrives at the conclusion that the coercive diplomacy initially aimed at forcing the Libyan leadership to change their political course eventually turned into a policy of “regime change”.

The study of the Libyan case has once again cast doubt on the effectiveness of lop­sidedly interpreted “coercive diplomacy” and first and foremost emphasizes the need for a "renaissance" of traditional diplomacy as an instrument of resolving conflicts by peaceful means through negotiation and dialogue.

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