As many of you are aware, the UN security council recently approved a proposal to impose a no fly-zone over Libya.
News Link
It approved a resolution permitting "all necessary measures'' to impose a no-fly zone, protect civilian areas and impose a ceasefire on
Gaddafi's military.
It seems iminent now, that foreign nations will intervene in soveriegn Libya. But is this a case of too little too late? Could this also be a case
where it is against the people's best interest to intervene.
Debate for a no-fly zone has been ongoing, ever since air-strikes on Libyan civilians were first reported, the discussion, debate and planning for a
no-fly zone has been underway. Now that the protests have transformed into a civil war has the approval for a no-fly zone come. This has come thanks
to the persistance of France, the UK and Lebanon.
News Link
France and Britain are still pushing the UN Security Council to implement a no-fly zone over Libya to help rebels under assault from Moammar
Qaddafi's forces, the French envoy to the UN said on Tuesday.
Well, whats so bad about a no-fly zone? Why, shouldn't the U.S and Nato do some good for once? Why shouldn't we extend our support to the people,
aid in political reform and help bring democracy to our Libyan brothers and sisters?
Before I adress this question, I would like to go into depth over what imposing a no-fly zone over Libya would mean. The media and the politicians who
advocate such actions have been bombarding us with this double-speak of a no-fly zone. Rarely have we seen or heard what the implications and the
truth of carrying out such an action would mean.
News Link
THE UN Security Council has cleared the way for air strikes to halt Muammar Gaddafi's offensive against embattled rebel forces in Libya, with
the first bombing raids possible within hours.
The relevance of this previous article is that in its wording, it shows what a no-fly zone really is. Don't be mistaken, imposing a fly-zone is a
form of warfare.
Wiki Link
A no-fly zone (or no-flight zone) is a territory over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military
context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky.
A no fly-zone isn't a bunch of neatly drawn lines, where planes aren't aloud to fly. In reality it dosen't work that way. A no-fly zone requires
cripling certian infastructure including airstrips, airports and radar technology. To do this air-strikes must be carried out on Libya. This is an
extremely difficult task to carry out. Often no-fly zones just don't work that well. You must analyse previous conflicts to understand how no-fly
zones have previously failed
News Link
"There was a no-fly zone in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the Balkans conflict [which] took a while to get off the ground. It took three separate
UN Security Council resolutions before there was a Chapter 7 operation in place where they could use force to put planes down," Mr Brown
said.
A no-fly zone over Yugoslavia itself caused co-lateral damage. Although this was blamed on the Serbian military rather than NATO forces.
"The coalition forces lost four planes during that operation over several years. There were a number of instances of Serbian forces taking
human shields to stop NATO air strikes, so it certainly wasn't a case of putting the planes up and that solving all the problems.
You may have also heard the term no-fly zone being thrown around prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Why don't no-fly zones work? It is not a fact, that they don't work all the time. No fly zones can work to an extent. But a no-fly over Libya
involves costs that will far outweigh the benefits of implementing one. People seem to have the idea, that a no-fly zone over Libya is the be all and
end all soloution to this crisis. The realistic fact is it isn't. It will do little to stop Qaddafi and his advancing army.
To understand this fully you must analyse the conflict in Libya from what news and information we can find.
The Libyan Army is fairly well equipt. They have heavy tanks, missiles and armoured viehicles.
They have been involved in arm deals with the U.K and other Western powers. They have a well trained army, capable of taking on the rebels.
The Rebel Army
From what we can tell, the opposition force is composed of a largely rag-tag group of fighters. Most are irregulars with little to no training. Waging
conventional warfare against Qaddafi is nearly impossible.
The unfortunate fact is, that a no-fly zone is not enough. The no-fly zone is an intervention with no commitment. Qaddafi has support of the majority
of the armed forces. He is able to crush the Rebels without the aid of his planes, even though this may take longer. The no-fly zone achieves nothing.
It is neither stopping Qaddafi nor reducing civillian deaths.
Hillary Clinton herself believes a no-fly zone isn't enough. She advocates a no drive zone. Now take into the back of your mind what that means. A
no-drive zone isn't a bunch of neatly drawn lines where suddenly no viehicles will operate. A no-drive zone is a deeper commitment to militaristic
intervention. It requires more air-strikes and aerial assualts. To some it may seem that Libya is heading closer and closer to an occupation.
Just to re-cap on why a no-fly zone shouldn't be carried out.
- It achieves little in stopping Qaddafi
- It involves to much co-lateral damage
- It is expensive to carry out and require numerous resources
- It is an intervention without commitment
- It just dosen't work that well
Well, we want the people of Libya to prevail. What can be done? Without commitment nothing much can be done. We do not want to invade another
soveriegn nation. Yes Qaddafi has lost the legitamacy to rule, but it is up to the Libyan people to sort this out. What can be done, is military
hard-ware could be supplied to the rebels to help them even the playing field. But that too, wouldn't achieve much. It is time to look at a
combination of factors that could undermine the Qaddafi regime without much or any military intervention. This is an unfortunate altercation. We are
with the people of Libya, we are with the people of Earth, but we must remain realists and see things for what they really are. The costs for a no-fly
zone over Libya far outweigh the benefits. It is up to the people of Libya to achieve victory for themselves. It is also no business of a foreign
state to interfere with a soveriegn state.
I would like to take into account your thoughts, opinions and information on this topic. So if you have any, feel free to share.