Op-Ed: Fiddling While Libya Burns

[pinboy3niner]

Op-Ed Contributor
Fiddling While Libya Burns

By ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER
Published: March 13, 2011

PRESIDENT Obama says the noose is tightening around Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. In fact, it is tightening around the Libyan rebels, as Colonel Qaddafi makes the most of the world’s dithering and steadily retakes rebel-held towns. The United States and Europe are temporizing on a no-flight zone while the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Gulf Cooperation Council and now the Arab League have all called on the United Nations Security Council to authorize one. Opponents of a no-flight zone have put forth five main arguments, none of which, on close examination, hold up.

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The United States should immediately ask the Security Council to authorize a no-flight zone and make clear to Russia and China that if they block the resolution, the blood of the Libyan opposition will be on their hands. We should push them at least to abstain, and bring the issue to a vote as soon as possible. If we get a resolution, we should work with the Arab League to assemble an international coalition to impose the no-flight zone. If the Security Council fails to act, then we should recognize the opposition Libyan National Council as the legitimate government, as France has done, and work with the Arab League to give the council any assistance it requests.

Any use of force must be carefully and fully debated, but that debate has now been had. It’s been raging for a week, during which almost every Arab country has come on board calling for a no-flight zone and Colonel Qaddafi continues to gain ground. It is time to act.


Anne-Marie Slaughter is a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/opinion/14slaughter.html

The author is the FORMER Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department (though she still consults with State). Wiki needs to update this bio on that point, but it provides the basic background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne-Marie_Slaughter

[David__77]

1. Obama has taken the appropriate actions, despite what the warmongers say.

100% support.