TJP

The United States (US) decision-making process on Libya has been lethargic. The US should have imposed a no fly zone on Libya at the inception of the conflict. Thereby, signaling to Gaddafi that massacre of Libyans was unacceptable.

US passivity signaled a non-intervention mentality and allowed Gaddafi to gain the upper hand in the conflict.

The United States having air superiority should have signaled to Gaddafi’s and his band of thugs that using his air force to massacre Libyans was unacceptable. Unfortunately, it failed to do so.

Allowance of an avoidable massacre doesn’t make any sense to most Americans or to the rest of the world.

Regular flyover of Libyan air space by the US air force would have sent an indelible message (a la Reagan) to Gaddafi and his followers that it is not acceptable to massacre Libyans.

It appears that the administration always wait to see which way the wind is blowing before determining a course of action. Thus, it always seems to be late in acting.

Thus, the current US Middle East policy appears to be a straddling the fence policy, which gives the appearance of shortsightedness, as well as weakness.

However, the US reluctance to establish a no fly zone over Libya may be due to foresight.

If a no fly zone was applicable to Libya to prevent Gaddafi from attacking his own people, it would also be applicable to Israel for attacking Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Therefore, it is conceivable that in an effort to shield Israel, the Obama administration might be reluctant to embrace a Libyan no fly police.

However, if that is the case then, willingness to sacrifice Libyan lives for continuance of granting Israel license to use air attacks against Palestine is inhumane.

The US, under the Clinton administration, stood idle during the Rwandan genocide. And, under another Democratic president, it appears to be standing idle in the face of a potential Libyan genocide.

Obama claims to be a student of Ronald Reagan; however, if he truly was, he would surely know that President Reagan would have already sent an effective US cease and desist message to tyrant Gaddafi in the form of US Air Force.  

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