Constructed Threat and U.S. Humanitarian Intervention in Libya

Considering the fact that less systemic sensitivity has appeared towards U.S. military actions on the global scale and that the great powers in the international system do not engage in any serious effort at preventing this state, the role of domestic interest groups has increased as has the president’s attention to their opinions. Despite the fact that no serious threat to U.S. security existed and the country’s national interests were not at stake, Barack Obama ordered the use of military force against Muammar Gaddafi. Liberal humanists in the power structure played a crucial role in order to make the necessity of attack inevitable by aggrandizing the threat. By embracing the opinion expressed by the liberal humanists and repeating this aggrandizing for election purposes as well as for preserving his own liberal base, Barack Obama found a military attack on Libya rational and necessary.

Keywords:

Systemic Constraints , interest groups , Liberal Humanists , Risk appetite , Security Fear