My answer would be that the United States is not obligated to follow its allies just because. And the allies should follow the United States just because either.
Each operation should be viewed individually and periodically reviewed.
Are you troubled by the military mission going beyond the scope of the UN Security Council resolution?
It seems to me that the decision was made to oust Qaddafi by military force and covert operations. The resolution limited itself to protecting civilians, but the insiders understood it would rapidly evolve into providing military support for the rebels and then attempting to remove Qaddafi.
If it all happens cleanly, then it's a victory for Obama and the West who show they can dump an Arab leader they don't like when he becomes vulnerable. But is it a victory for human rights or international norms?
And if it doesn't happen cleanly, would it have resulted in less death and human rights violations to allow things to proceed without interfering?
What is the end state you envision for Libya? What are the alternative scenarios? How probable is each outcome?
I don't feel I have enough information to evaluate probability for myself, but I do not trust the government and media to accurately evaluate the situation. The Iraq War was simply too big a blow to the establishment's credibility for me to accept their judgment without an independent source that I trusted corroborating the evaluation.
© 2025 All Rights Reserved
My answer would be that the United States is not obligated to follow its allies just because. And the allies should follow the United States just because either.
Each operation should be viewed individually and periodically reviewed.
Prof. Cole,
Are you troubled by the military mission going beyond the scope of the UN Security Council resolution?
It seems to me that the decision was made to oust Qaddafi by military force and covert operations. The resolution limited itself to protecting civilians, but the insiders understood it would rapidly evolve into providing military support for the rebels and then attempting to remove Qaddafi.
If it all happens cleanly, then it's a victory for Obama and the West who show they can dump an Arab leader they don't like when he becomes vulnerable. But is it a victory for human rights or international norms?
And if it doesn't happen cleanly, would it have resulted in less death and human rights violations to allow things to proceed without interfering?
Prof. Cole,
I'm a long time admirer of your work.
What is the end state you envision for Libya? What are the alternative scenarios? How probable is each outcome?
I don't feel I have enough information to evaluate probability for myself, but I do not trust the government and media to accurately evaluate the situation. The Iraq War was simply too big a blow to the establishment's credibility for me to accept their judgment without an independent source that I trusted corroborating the evaluation.