US and UN Intervention in Libya: Humanitarian Necessity or Misguided Adventurism; neither or both?
At the March 25 board meeting of the United Nations Association-USA Wisconsin Division, those in attendance engaged in a vigorous and thought-provoking discussion about the implications of UN and US military intervention in Libya.We resolved to continue the dialogue here, and hope that others will join in, too.
This newly-created blog will serve as a forum for discussion of international justice issues related to the UN, and US foreign policy. We'll also link to other related sites, and be place where you can find out about upcoming speakers and other events.
For right now, please consider weighing in on the situation in Libya. Did the potential humanitarian concern about the slaughter of innocents justify this action? Was the reaction too little, too late? Does this represent a third front in the U.S.'s misguided attempts to achieve its foreign policy goals in this part of the world?
And in the bigger picture: why didn't US and other world diplomats anticipate the pro-democracy uprisings now occurring all across North African and the Middle East? Is U.S. foreign policy equipped to support these nascent movements, even if they may be hostile and resentful of past U.S. foreign policy? How is Barack Obama behaving differently than his predecessors (most notably G.W. Bush) in both the tenor of his remarks, and his actions?
Please join in our conversation by commenting below. First time visitors to blogspot or blogger may need to complete a brief registration process by following the prompts.
UNA-WI board members have suggested the following links:
Short article on Time online re Susan Rice's role in Libyan intervention, posted on national UNA website
"Libya Intervention Threatens the Arab Spring," article by Phyllis Bennis on anti-war.com
NY Times: Samantha Power's role (in concert with the US' Representative to the UN Susan Rice and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) in persuading President Obama to act to prevent a slaughter of the anti-Gaddaffi rebels in Libya
"...within 48 hours of the bombing campaign’s opening salvos, the U.S. and its allies lost the support of the Arab and African institutions the Obama administration had identified as crucial for going ahead. "
ReplyDeleteRead the whole article by Phyllis Bennis in Anti-War.com
The Arab League--that bizarre gaggle of in-bred monarchs President Obama and Secretary Clinton rely so heavily upon to maintain stability in the neighborhoods where our petroleum lies under their sands--began using the familiar and lethal methods against the opposition in their own kingdoms.
And the African Union, which had granted only the most limited approval for "no fly," withdrew its support for the U.N. approved intervention When NATO went hog wild.
There's a lot more going on than merely high- minded Responsibility to Protect.