The United States and its allies have joined the fight in Libya. With air strikes apparently imminent against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi, who has vowed to drag America and its allies into a “long war,” the U.S. faces a question: Why did the Country Enter the War in Libya?
Libya inntervention: interactive map
France and Britain led the diplomatic push for military action against Libya. The Arab League’s vote, on March 12th, to call on the United Nations to enforce a no-fly zone was crucial in securing international legitimacy. The Americans were initially hesitant but were eventually won around.
The U.S. led initial attacks on Libya as well as the establishing of a no-fly zone, firing more than a hundred Tomahawk missiles from the Mediterranean in initial attacks. The U.S. has since reduced its role, withdrawing fighter jets from the operation and shifting most of its planes into support tasks. At least one Navy ship has left the area according to defense officials
Libya as it happened: CONFLICT TIMELINE
Key military assets in Libya crisis
European and US forces have launched attacks on Libyan targets under a United Nations resolution authorising action to protect civilians from Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
Below are the key military assets of the coalition forces and Libyan military.
United States – The US Navy has five combat ships in the Mediterranean, including at least one guided-missile destroyer. There are no US aircraft carriers close to Libya.
– A defence official said three submarines outfitted with Tomahawk missiles are currently in the Mediterranean ready to participate, including attack submarines Newport News and the Providence.
– The military deployed planes, cruise missiles and electronic attacks, the Pentagon said.
– Aviano in Italy is home to a US air base with aircraft assigned to it – 42 F-16s. The Pentagon has not discussed the positioning of other planes in the region. The United States has a range of Mediterranean military bases and installations in Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.
– The United States started a “limited military action” in Libya several hours after France which included launching strikes along the Libyan coast that would target Libyan air defences.(channel4)
The most common reasoning for entering war in Libya is the allegation that Gaddafi has been killing innocent civilians.
The unrest in Libya begun with peaceful protests, which Gaddafi attempted violently to suppress. The protesters then armed themselves and were joined by defecting units of the military. Later reports coming out of Libya indicated the violence between armed rebels and forces loyal to Gaddafi (beginning on 15 February 2011). The U.S. officials emphasized the possibility of a future humanitarian crisis rather than a current one.
Analysts say events will be largely dictated by what happens on the ground, regardless of American intentions, raising concerns of escalating U.S. involvement in yet another theater of war, joining two major conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But even a long-term involvement in the air campaign will place stress on a force already deeply involved in Iraq and Afghanistan.(CNN video)
But there are a few other reasons that skeptics of the U.S. participation in war in Libya name. Libya has oil and gas, and U.S. military action might be seen by some people around the world as motivated exclusively by the urge to steal the country’s resources.
Although since the Libyan crisis began in mid-February, oil prices have risen about $20 a barrel and gas prices are up about 50 cents a gallon. For now Libya is not a big oil supplier to the U.S.Libya supplies just 44,000 barrels of oil a day to the U.S., or less than 1% of its total oil imports. Last year, Libya produced 1.6 million barrels a day, or 1.8%, of the 88 million barrels consumed daily. About 1 million have been shut down. Saudi Arabia churns out about 9% of the world’s oil, or 8.4 million barrels, and 9.3% of U.S. imports.
Another reason named is religion and U.S. intervention is denounced as an attack on Islam, as a mean to open the way to Christianity.
Officials now give their reasons for the U.S. to enter a Libya fight.Barack Obama said Gaddafi was suppressing his people and that “left unchecked, we have every reason to believe that Gaddhafi would commit atrocities against his people. Many thousands could die. A humanitarian crisis would ensue. The entire region could be destabilized, endangering many of our allies and partners. The calls of the Libyan people for help would go unanswered. The democratic values that we stand for would be overrun. Moreover, the words of the international community would be rendered hollow.”
Hilllary Clinton, Secretary of State, suggested that the evidence of violence against civilians, as opposed to armed rebels and defecting troops, is circumstantial. “There are many stories, as you know, of massacres, abductions.” She also said the president’s Libya strategy was going to plan. “I think this is watershed moment in international decision making.”
Robert Gates, US secretary of Defense said said in a joint appearance with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “It was not — it was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest and it was an interest for all of the reasons Secretary Clinton talked about. The engagement of the Arabs, the engagement of the Europeans, the general humanitarian question that was at stake,” he said.
Gates explained that there was more at stake, however. “There was another piece of this though, that certainly was a consideration. You’ve had revolutions on both the East and the West of Libya,” he said, emphasizing the potential wave of refugees from Libya could have destabilized Tunisia and Egypt.
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