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Libya campaign risks becoming quagmire for NATO
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| Contributor | Jason |
| Last Edited | Jason Jun 02, 2011 06:35pm |
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| Category | Analysis |
| Media | Newspaper - San Francisco Chronicle |
| News Date | Thursday, May 26, 2011 12:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The military campaign in Libya began with what seemed a narrowly defined mission: to enforce a no-fly zone and protect civilians from attack.
Two months later, the campaign has evolved into a ferocious pounding of the country's capital, Tripoli, in what appears an all-out effort to oust Moammar Khadafy. But that goal remains elusive, raising the prospect of a quagmire in the desert. And the political will of the countries involved is being sorely tested.
The Libyan opposition remains weak. NATO, the North Atlantic military alliance which took over command of the campaign from the United States on March 31, appears to have no clear exit strategy. Two of the allies, Britain and France, have descended into public squabbling over bringing the fight closer to Khadafy with attack helicopters. And the French foreign minister said Tuesday that his country's willingness to continue the campaign was not endless.
Part of the challenge lies in the original U.N. resolution: It authorized the use of air power but forbade ground troops, even as it authorized "all necessary means" to protect civilians following Khadafy's brutal suppression of the popular uprising against his rule. |
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