After turning a blind eye to Gaddafi's violent rule, the West has no legitimacy to enforce a no-fly zone.
Sami Hermez
Al-Jazeera
"Calls for international intervention to end the conflict in Libya have come from across the political spectrum and have even included Libyan voices, such as the country's delegation to the United Nations.
These calls, especially on the part of Libyans, are surely motivated by a belief that the international community, with all its power, must have some tools at its disposal to put real pressure on Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi to cease the bloodshed and step down as the country's leader.
However, some calls for international engagement with the Libyan conflict have also been motivated by a disingenuous desire to reassert US leadership in the world.
To the extent that these intentions are the guiding light, the international community’s interventionist policy, including the recently passed UN Security Council Resolution 1970 imposing sanctions on Libya, is dangerous, misguided and irresponsible.....
Conclusion
Unfortunately, it appears that national interests and opportunism, rather than altruism and humanitarianism, are guiding Western governments and the international community's response to the conflict inside Libya.
Under the guise of protecting human rights, the international community, with the United States at its helm, seems eager to redeem its image by capitalising on the revolutionary spirit now sweeping the Arab world, and to position itself as the savior of Libya in the hopes of securing the allegiance of any future government.
Yet, the major global powers dominating the UN Security Council have spent years delegitimising the role of the international community, thereby foreclosing effective forms of intervention at the Libyan people’s hour of need.
At the same time, there are influential voices from inside Libya who have warned against international intervention, such as the former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul-Jalil who has been appointed to lead an interim national government out of Benghazi.
As such, the Libyan opposition seems quite aware of the politics behind the international community’s interventionism, and one can only hope that it is able to reject any Western or international interference that may co-opt the people’s power."
Sami Hermez
Al-Jazeera
"Calls for international intervention to end the conflict in Libya have come from across the political spectrum and have even included Libyan voices, such as the country's delegation to the United Nations.
These calls, especially on the part of Libyans, are surely motivated by a belief that the international community, with all its power, must have some tools at its disposal to put real pressure on Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi to cease the bloodshed and step down as the country's leader.
However, some calls for international engagement with the Libyan conflict have also been motivated by a disingenuous desire to reassert US leadership in the world.
To the extent that these intentions are the guiding light, the international community’s interventionist policy, including the recently passed UN Security Council Resolution 1970 imposing sanctions on Libya, is dangerous, misguided and irresponsible.....
Conclusion
Unfortunately, it appears that national interests and opportunism, rather than altruism and humanitarianism, are guiding Western governments and the international community's response to the conflict inside Libya.
Under the guise of protecting human rights, the international community, with the United States at its helm, seems eager to redeem its image by capitalising on the revolutionary spirit now sweeping the Arab world, and to position itself as the savior of Libya in the hopes of securing the allegiance of any future government.
Yet, the major global powers dominating the UN Security Council have spent years delegitimising the role of the international community, thereby foreclosing effective forms of intervention at the Libyan people’s hour of need.
At the same time, there are influential voices from inside Libya who have warned against international intervention, such as the former Justice Minister Mustafa Abdul-Jalil who has been appointed to lead an interim national government out of Benghazi.
As such, the Libyan opposition seems quite aware of the politics behind the international community’s interventionism, and one can only hope that it is able to reject any Western or international interference that may co-opt the people’s power."
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