Was the Libyan Intervention Humanitarian?
Now that Tripoli has fallen to the rebels and Qaddafi is on his way out, many see vindication for the decision to intervene in Libya. Whether the decision intervene in Libya was wise for western governments is up for debate, but it is unquestionably clear that thanks, at least in part, to western aerial power, … Read more
Did the Fall of Tripoli Vindicate the Intervention?
In the lead up to the decision to intervene in Libya, I was pretty skeptical. Without overstepping the UN mandate, it seemed as though there was little that the international community could do in order to protect the rebel movement. The intervention, by the end, was anything but humanitarian. It is true that foreign air … Read more
Reactions from Libya
With Qaddafi’s days pretty much limited, there has been much speculation about what comes after. What will Libya look like? Obviously, there are many challenges that remain for the country. Here are some thoughts from around the web. Issandr El Amrani believes the TNC is up to the task: Taking early stock of the Libyan … Read more
NATO Troops to Enter Libya, Part II
Earlier today I linked to arguments made by Max Boot and Richard Haass in favor of sending foreign (see: western [see: American]) troops into Libya to ensure that the country does not fall in the face of the many challenges that it is certain to face. Personally, I think that the west should absolutely … Read more
Thoughts on Libyan Nation Building After Qaddafi
James Dobbins and Frederic Wehrey have an article up at Foreign Affairs discussing the role of western governments in post-Qaddafi Libya. It is clear that Libya will be facing severe challenges as it tries to build a nation from scratch; a lack of institutions, competing tribal militias, and the potential for an insurgency movement, … Read more
NATO Troops to Enter Libya?
Max Boot reiterates the fact that the fall of Qaddafi is not the end of the problems facing Libya and concludes that the presence of western troops in is essential for the prolonged success of the Libyan revolution: But there remains a real danger of catastrophe, a la post-Taliban Afghanistan and post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, which each succumbed … Read more
And This is What Happens
Soon I should start to just assume that a small vacation from blogging will be accompanied by a major event in the Middle East. The most recent, of course, is the events in Libya this past week: rebels have taken Qaddafi’s compound and most of Tripoli. While fighting continues sporadically throughout the capital, it seems as though … Read more
How to Determine if the Syrian Uprising is Successful
The editors of the Middle East Research and Information Project have a great article up about the uprisings in the Middle East (and how the uprisings are framed) and, specifically, in Syria. Two seemingly contradictory passages caught my eye that describe a Syrian uprising in pessimistic terms, but also as inevitably successful. Consider passage one: … Read more
Accountability or Peace: The ICC in Syria
Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that Qaddafi in Libya is killing Libyans and Assad in Syria is killing Syrians. You might also have picked up on the fact that the international community has responded quite differently to the two situations: Qaddafi earned a UNSC resolution authorizing international intervention and … Read more
How Much is Libya Costing the US?
Well, let’s go ahead for a second and forget the fact that the international intervention in Libya has followed the predicted route: western bombs have propped up a divided and disorganized rebel movement, created an interminable stalemate and removed any credible threat the west had towards other abusive regimes (I’m looking at you Syria). Just … Read more
