This research is structured in two sections. The ?rst one focuses on the historical and philosophical roots of the right to interfere. It attempts to comprehend its legitimacy by highlighting the semantic difference with the Responsibility to Protect. The second approaches the topic from a pragmatic perspective and retraces the milestones leading to the international community's intervention in Libya. It analyses how the Responsibility to Protect was applied in 2011 and whether the standards set by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty were observed. Afterword by Agostino Miozzo.