Right now the Obama administration is in a quandary of whether or not to use military force in Libya. Presently rebel forces have begun to send word out that it would accept outside military help in its fight against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. Currently, U.S. military forces are being set up near by in the Mediterranean, with a carrier currently on its way to Libyan waters. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, testified yesterday that a no-fly-zone over Libya would be difficult and would first commence with attacking Libyan air defense installations. Right now Libyan forces loyal to Gaddafi have been bombing and strafing rebel forces in rebel controlled towns.
The decision for the president is at what point does the U.S. become involved? Do we allow the slaughter of innocent people, reminiscent of failure of the international community, including the U.S., to act in the Rwandan Genocide, which claimed the lives of an estimated 800,000 people. The failure to act haunted the Clinton administration for the rest of his tenure.
The president has been silent on what his strategy is for Libya, and for that matter the broader Middle East. Since demonstrations have broken out across the Middle East and North Africa, the president and his national security team always seams to be a step behind the events.
President Obama needs to lead or events will spiral out of control, further complicating U.S. interests in the region with resultant affects for years to come.
http://militarybriefingbook.com/browse.cfm?category=Africa&subcategory=North%20Africa
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