"A
no-fly zone would further aggravate the situation. Those who want to confront
Qaddafi without sending combat aircraft must block access to his oil millions.
… The oil-consuming countries must act expeditiously and impose a halt to
payments for all goods that profit the Libyan regime."
It’s enough to drive one mad:
in plain sight of the world, the rebels in Libya are attempting to defend their
newly-won liberty against the military superiority of Muammar al-Qaddafi. The
country has slipped into a civil war that many thousands could fall victim to, and
the world looks on helplessly.
But those who call for
immediate military intervention - and that includes the establishment of a
no-fly zone - are overlooking the fact that such a move would further aggravate
the situation.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Enforcing a no-fly zone over
a country in which a dictator is determined to go to any length to prevail and has
command of a large air force and a rich array of air defense missiles would
mean war. And in this war, under current circumstances, the West would be on
its own. Neither the Arab League, Russia nor China would participate. This
would put the U.S. and Europe into an even more difficult position than in
Afghanistan. Together, the two interventions would only ensure that neither conflict
could be brought to an end. Libya could easily turn into another long-term
deployment - especially if the country is divided.
And unlike in Kosovo or
Rwanda, the West wouldn't be able to invoke the “responsibility to protect” clause.
This controversial doctrine of international law, which continues to be
controversial, allows military intervention when the risk of genocide exists; whereas
in Libya, what's raging is a classic civil war.
Nevertheless, the global
community must act - and quickly. Those who want to confront Qaddafi without
sending combat aircraft must at least block access to his oil millions. The
sanctions that have already been imposed are insufficient. The oil-consuming
countries must act expeditiously and impose a halt to payments for all goods
that profit the Libyan regime - ideally with an exception for oil from the
Benghazi region, which is used by the rebels for their own purposes.
Whether such an approach
works also depends on the unity of the international community. The E.U. and U.S.
should work toward this with all their might. It is probably the only chance to
stop Qaddafi without triggering a protracted war.
