Airpower in contemporary interventions: stabilization, coercion, peace enforcement and peacemaking. Case: Operation Unified Protector, Libya 2011

Abstract

This paper intends to analyze whether airpower is decisive and irreplaceable in putting an end to violent conflict nowadays, evaluating airpower as an instrument in contemporary warfare and its role in peace operations. The research will seek to confirm or invalidate the hypothesis according to which airpower can successfully take the lead in the Western Allies’ contemporary stabilization operations given that it reduces costs in terms of human lives and resources. Moving forward, the research will focus on airpower characteristics in the Libyan case, with an analysis of NATO’s Operation Unified Protector.

Keywords

• air power
• coercive air strategies
• air interdiction
• smart defense concept
• ISR (Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance)
• peace enforcement
• peacemaking
• humanitarian intervention