Politics & Policy

Mission Creep in Libya

A week after the Arab League endorsed a no-fly zone, Amr Moussa, Arab League secretary general and Egyptian presidential hopeful, is already condemning “Operation Odyssey Dawn” for going too far. “What has happened in Libya differs from the goal of imposing a no-fly zone and what we want is the protection of civilians and not bombing other civilians.” The number of civilians killed in allied strikes so far is hotly disputed. Meanwhile, the British defense secretary Liam Fox said, according to the Guardian, that it was “possible that Gaddafi himself could become a target of air attacks if the safety of civilians could be guaranteed.” He also said, in a TV appearance, “Mission accomplished would mean the Libyan people free to control their own destiny. This is very clear – the international community wants his regime to end and wants the Libyan people to control for themselves their own country.” Which seems to go beyond the initially stated goal of protecting civilians from slaughter.

Matthew Shaffer — Mr. Shaffer is a former William F. Buckley Fellow of the National Review Institute.
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