Berenskoetter, Felix (2011) Caught between Kosovo and Iraq: Understanding Germany’s abstention on Libya. International Affairs at LSE (21 Apr 2011). Website.
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Abstract
The German decision to abstain from voting on the UN Security Council Resolution 1973 authorizing a no-fly zone over Libya puzzled many observers and was heavily criticized by some. The German government has been accused of irresponsible and inconsistent behaviour, abandoning Western consensus, and of having ‘failed the test’ of leadership. Such criticism has been voiced abroad (mainly from Western countries supporting the resolution) and domestically (by, for instance, Klaus Naumann and Joschka Fischer). Accompanied by an air of moral superiority and/or a sense of embarrassment, the critics tend to explain the German decision with a misplaced pacifist reflex, poor strategic thinking and a weak and clumsy Foreign Minister. And, of course, with a short-sighted and an inward-looking government concerned mainly about public opinion (the parties of the governing coalition had been trailing in polls for state elections which took place a week after the UN vote).
| Item Type: | Online resource (Website) |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/ideas/ |
| Additional Information: | © 2011 The Author(s) |
| Divisions: | IGA: LSE IDEAS |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) J Political Science > JZ International relations |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jul 2017 07:50 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2023 18:25 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/83009 |
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