Western Officials: All Military Options on the Table in Libya

More NATO Ships to Deploy Near Libya

Western officials continue to emphasize an “all options on the table” military attitude toward the Gadhafi regime in Libya, though it seems there is still enough resistance to the immediate attack called for by some top officials to keep it from actually happening.

Still, the moves continue to be in that direction, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates noted today that NATO has agreed to move some of its Mediterranean ships closer to the coast of Libya. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen insisted that NATO wouldn’t move further without a “clear legal basis.”

The European Union is also having a “crisis summit” to discuss Libya, and they likewise insist that “all options” are being considered, though the hawkish calls from French and British officials seem to be facing an uphill battle against German and Italian officials averse to starting yet another war.

As the fighting continues in Libya, officials have been hyping the prospect of a “no-fly zone,” though the fact that air strikes have only been intermittent have left many analysts wondering whether this would have any noticeable effect.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.