Tell me if this sounds familiar. The United States, with the United Nations, calls for involvement in a country with a ruthless dictator who is known for sponsoring terrorist attacks, oppressing his own citizens and is at war with rebel forces trying to overthrow the government.
This country also has one of the largest oil economies in the Middle East, and the U.S. plans on installing a democratic system after the fall of the current government?
The similarities between the war in Iraq and the up and coming war in Libya are palpable. Last Sunday, American and European militaries strengthened their bombardment of Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces by air and sea as the mission moved to take away his ability to use Libyan airspace a day before the United Nations imposed a no fly zone over the country.
I am not advocating that intervention in Libya will inevitably turn into another Iraq War, but I am saying that President Barack Obama needs to be very careful in how he deals with the delicate situation.
Obama would like to keep this battle strictly in the air in hopes of keeping U.S. ground troops from stepping foot on Libyan soil. There certainly is the possibility a ground war could happen, considering France, of all countries, has headed the charge in fighting Libya.
Unlike Iraq, though, Obama has a lot of support from the international community. After all, it was Libya’s neighbors, the Arab League, who requested the no-fly zone.
However, they began objecting to international intervention once reports sprung up that bombings have killed as many as 64 civilians. While U.S. intelligence claims they have no knowledge of civilian deaths, the fact that many Libyan sources have claimed so is worrying.
Nevertheless, if Obama wants to ensure this encounter doesn’t end up like the war in Iraq, he is going to have to conquer the wildcard that is Moammar Gadhafi. Citizens have been calling for Gadhafi to resign based on his violent crackdown on protests and his long record of serious human rights violations.
In response to the allegations against him, Gadhafi claimed the protestors were on hallucinogenic drugs and that his people actually support him. I am not sure which statement is more believable.
But in all seriousness, it is this resiliency to hold on to his roll as dictator of Libya which could end up being a disaster for Obama. Gadhafi has made it clear he is willing to do anything to ensure he doesn’t go anywhere.
There have been reports that some of the bombings have been close to the location where it is speculated Gadhafi is, but Allied forces claim they don’t have intentions of killing Gadhafi. Unless those intentions change, this conflict could last for a while.
To quote one of my favorite movies, “The Dark Knight”; “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
While I certainly realize this quote is describing a fictitious character, if there is any real world applicant, it would be Gadhafi.
If Obama can somehow find a way to get rid of Gadhafi, there is hope that this war can be different. If not, Obama could find himself in a war very similar to the one that his predecessor is infamous for.