Why would NATO contribute to removing an autocrat from power? A comparison between NATO's intervention in Libya and lack of intervention in Syria in the wake of the Arab Spring

In order to understand NATO's influence in the modern world, in this project we ask the question of why NATO would contribute to the removal of an autocrat from power. We will do so through an epistemologically positivist approach. We will test three central theories in international relations (Realism, Liberalism and Constructivism) to determine the reasons behind why, in the wake of the Arab spring in 2011, NATO contributed to removing an autocrat in one Arab country (Libya) and not in another (Syria). This research analysis will be conducted through a review of newspaper articles on NATO's intervention in Libya and Syria published at the time of the (non) intervention, as well as an analysis of the speeches and press conferences provided by the two Secretary Generals that were directing the alliance during the time of both crises.