Libya: a lost opportunity for the African Union

The author argues that the African Union (AU) lost its opportunity to lead the Libyan crisis due to a lack of political will, failure to secure support for its road map, and an inability to escalate diplomatic engagement with NATO and the Arab League. The document highlights how UN Security Council Resolution 1973 prioritised the Arab League over the AU, leaving the AU as a marginal observer. To avoid further irrelevance, the author recommends that the AU recognise the Transitional National Council (TNC) and integrate its high-level ad hoc committee into existing international processes like the Libya Contact Group.

• The African Union's (AU) marginalisation in the Libyan crisis resulted from its failure to gain genuine support for its March 10 road map from both sides of the conflict and its inability to escalate diplomatic engagement with NATO, the Arab League, and key nations including France, the UK, the US, Turkey, and Qatar.
• UN Security Council Resolution 1973 provided legitimacy for NATO by emphasising the role of the Arab League in maintaining regional peace and security, while making only scant reference to the AU and omitting it from the authorisation of measures to enforce flight bans.
• The AU's effectiveness was hindered by a lack of political will and means to challenge recalcitrant leaders who violate human rights, as well as European reluctance to cede political initiative due to interests in oil and the management of African migration.
• To avoid becoming a 'self-fulfilling prophecy' of irrelevance, the AU must recognise the Transitional National Council (TNC) and integrate its high-level ad hoc committee into the processes of the Libya Contact Group.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). Libya: a lost opportunity for the African Union. https://saiia.org.za/research/libya-a-lost-opportunity-for-the-african-union/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Libya: a lost opportunity for the African Union. 2011. https://saiia.org.za/research/libya-a-lost-opportunity-for-the-african-union/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Libya: a lost opportunity for the African Union |date=31 August 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/libya-a-lost-opportunity-for-the-african-union/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011libya, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Libya: a lost opportunity for the African Union}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/libya-a-lost-opportunity-for-the-african-union/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }