Western Officials Raise Prospect of Assassinating Gadhafi

British FM Says Assassination Depends on Gadhafi's Behavior

Citing the lingering stalemate in Libya, a number of top Western officials are raising the prospect of assassinating Moammar Gadhafi as a means of either winning the war or escalating it, depending on which they were advocating.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R – SC) said assassinating Gadhafi would be the “quickest” way to end the stalemate, while John McCain (R – AZ) said it should be the first step toward increasing the number of US air strikes in Libya. Graham in particular had been calling for the assassination for weeks.

Officials have speculated that the assassination would be much easier now that the US has added Predator drones to the war. The first such strike was reported over the weekend.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he wouldn’t rule out the assassination, but that the decision of whether or not to kill Gadhafi or anyone else “depends on their behavior.” Officials have differed over whether the war, which is nominally the result of a UN call for a no-fly zone, should include such assassinations.

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.