All Eyes on Coalition Strike On Libya

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World

Monday, 21 March 2011 00:30

By Alex Holder

Will Libya become another Iraq? This is the question in the minds of many as the US and its allies launched the biggest co-ordinated attack in the Arab nation since 2003.

The air strike began over the weekend, and included attacks from France, Britain, and US fighter jets. Over 100 cruse missiles descended on more than a score of Libyan targets, mostly critical air defense points.

The move is in keeping with a UN sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya set out some time ago, following a clash between rebel forces and pro-Muammar Gaddafi troops. Gaddafi has for decades maintained a stronghold in the Libyan leadership, but maintains that his position is merely that of an advisor, since he holds no official title in the Libyan administration.

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According to international media reports, the “reconnaissance” operation is the beginning of what is predicted to be a “long and uncertain fight against forces loyal to the discredited Libyan leader.”

Senior British military officials continue to maintain that the attacks will not go beyond the UN convention that governs such. This means there will be no ground troops, as the Libyan people will determine the outcome of the ground battles.

Gaddafi, in a public broadcast following the initial attacks, cursed the western coalition, labelling them “criminals” and “colonial crusaders”. The government has pledged revenge on the nations that have backed the attacks.

Gaddafi too has promised to arm all the people of Libya to “…defend the independence, unity and honor of Libya.” The unity he speaks of is almost invisible, as the nation has seemingly been divided down the middle – half in support of democracy and the other in support of Gaddafi’s version of freedom.

The fight for international action was led by British Prime Minister David Cameron, and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy. According to a Times publication, the French president said the move was aimed at “protecting the population from the murderous madness of a regime which by killing its own people has lost all legitimacy.”

In the meantime, the rebel troops and others calling for freedom from the clutches of Gaddafi’s influence have praised the attacks and called for more outside intervention.

There have been some reports of civilian casualty, but no confirmed figures have yet been established.

As it stands there are no Arab nations taking part in the coalition efforts, but Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan are expected to get on board in the near future.

Even Canada, widely considered a pacifist nation, has joined in the collation operations and has indicated, along with Italy, Denmark, Spain, and Belgium, its willingness to lend military assets or bases for operation.

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The Libyan uprising came on the heels of successful interventions against dictatorship rule in the Middle East. While the interventions have yielded benefits for the Arab world, it has had a notably negative impact on the rest of the world with a hike in oil prices resulting from the unrest. The Caribbean has not been spared.

The fighting continues, with rebel forces gaining and losing ground almost equally. They have pledged however to forge forward, stopping only in death or victory against the oppression.

 

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