Isn't it rather odd, than when Libya's dictatorship has used fighter aircraft to attack its own citizens, when it is difficult to engage evacuations deep into Libya (only Tripoli airport and Benghazi appear accessible), that the USA has such a low profile?
The appropriate response is clear:
- Declare a "no-fly zone" over Libya, that NATO will take control of Libyan airspace for the purposes of preventing use of military aircraft against civilians, and to allow for evacuation and aid missions to fly in unhindered.
- That means being willing to warn and shoot down Libyan air force aircraft if necessary, or escort them if they wish to defect.
However Obama has given up, he has withdrawn from the world. The US as superpower is absent, if you see the White House website there is nothing at all about Libya.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she is "watching" with concern.
It's a fairly clear lesson, Gaddafi was scared of Bush sufficiently that he stopped sabre rattling and his WMD programme. He isn't scared of Obama.
So that's it people. The Obama Administration was more vocal about Egypt, because of Israel and because it was so obviously a key ally of the US. Libya, an arch enemy, is almost irrelevant now.
Have a guess at what governments are quietly taking comfort from that, they have capital cities beginning with T, D and P.
UPDATE: Even the New York Times agrees.
"It took President Obama four days to condemn the violence. Even then, he spoke only vaguely about holding Libyan officials accountable for their crimes. Colonel Qaddafi was never mentioned by name....There is not a lot of time. Colonel Qaddafi and his henchmen have to be told in credible and very specific terms the price they will pay for any more killing. They need to start paying right now."
UPDATE: Even the New York Times agrees.
"It took President Obama four days to condemn the violence. Even then, he spoke only vaguely about holding Libyan officials accountable for their crimes. Colonel Qaddafi was never mentioned by name....There is not a lot of time. Colonel Qaddafi and his henchmen have to be told in credible and very specific terms the price they will pay for any more killing. They need to start paying right now."
1 comment:
Very odd, and yet not a surprise. He's an empty suit, out of his depth. There's no principle in operation, just a teenage partisan mentality. I'd think even Hillary Clinton is uncomfy with this lack of response. He's gonna be walked all over by those other govts you mention, and like Carter, he'll be gone but will spend the rest of his days trying to justify himself. Pathetic.
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