Reminiscent of Security Council Resolution 836 which authorized NATO’s first actions to enforce a no-fly zone to protect largely Muslim populations from atrocities – in Bosnia in 1993 – the language of Resolution 1973 makes express provision for NATO involvement. The diplomatic formulation authorizing “Member States, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements” is no accident.
It is well known that the NATO alliance does not consider itself a “regional arrangement or agency” under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter. By deliberately referring to regional organizations when the use of coercive force was envisioned, the UN was giving the nod to NATO.
