NATO’S INTERVENTION IN LIBYA: THE POLITICAL REASONING BEHIND NATO’S INTERVENTION

Abstract

This thesis examines the political reasoning behind the decisions of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to get involved in an intervention in Libya and their ultimate desire to ask the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to get involved. The political reasoning for the three countries' decisions varied from wanting to obtain political capital in an election year to wanting to avoid a humanitarian crisis, especially in a location so close to Europe’s southern border. NATO had its own political reasoning for its involvement, which included the desire to prevent the alliance from fracturing in a time of defense cuts and to prevent coalitions from forming that could undermine the long-term health of the alliance.