Inside Story

The West’s strategy in Libya

As the bombs continue to fall, the international community is scrambling to define its mission in Libya.

World powers met in London to discuss arming rebel fighters in Libya.

The talks focussed on military operations in the country and justifications for providing weapons to those opposed to Muammer Gaddafi, Libya’s embattled leader.

The meeting follows Barack Obama, the US president’s first speech on Libya since the intervention began.

Obama said he ordered the military action to enforce UN Resolution 1973, because if the coalition had waited one more day, there could have been a massacre among Libyans by Gaddafi’s forces.
 
At the same time he spoke of the limitations of action and made a distinction between intervention and regime change. He delivered a straight dismissal of more aggressive action, describing any attempt to include regime change as a “mistake”.

Which begs the question if the US and the rest of the international community are not trying to overthrow Colonel Gaddafi by force, then what is the proposed ‘endgame’ for Libya?
 
Inside Story, with presenter Kamahl Santamaria, discusses with: Oliver Miles, a former British ambassdor to Libya; Mustafa Alani, the director of the security progamme at the Gulf Research Centre; and Aly Abuzaakouk, the president of the Libyan Human and Political Development Forum.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Tuesday, March 29, 2011.