Inside Story

Is it too late for a no-fly zone over Libya?

Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, has said it is “too late” for any UN decision on the precarious situation in his country.

It has been a month since the uprising in Libya began, and now the defiant leader Muammar Gaddafi says a “decisive battle” will end it sooner rather than later.

The anti-government forces are slowly losing control of the territories they had initially managed to secure.
Most of them are average citizens taking up arms and fighting against the well-trained and heavily armed forces of Gaddafi.

As the situation on the ground remains tense and fluid, the UN Security Council met to discuss solutions to the precarious situation in Libya.

Over the weeks, UN members have been considering a range of actions, including a no-fly zone and military intervention.

But Gaddafi”s son, Saif al-Islam, says any UN decision is “too late”.

Can the opposition survive the diplomatic talk? And is it too late to for a no-fly zone over Libya?

Inside Story, with presenter Sami Zidane, discusses with guests: Abdelkhader Aljanyan, a Libyan protester; George Jofee, a professor of politics and international studies, specialising in North Africa, at Cambridge University; and Bradley Blakeman, a professor of public policy and politics at Georgetown University.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Thursday, March 17, 2011.