Sanctions in Place, US Mulls Further Intervention in Libya

Sens. Lieberman, McCain Call for Arming Protesters

Having played a role in the sanctions against the Gadhafi regime yesterday (actually the role of spoiler, as the US ensured the immunity of most of the brutal mercenaries from prosecution), the Obama Administration is mulling a series of additional options on how to meddle in the Libyan Revolution.

Today the administration was in talks with European nations with regards to imposing a possible “no-fly zone” over Libya, ostensibly to prevent further bombing of protesters by the Gadhafi-loyal Air Force. This may be very much an “after-the-fact” measure as well, because such bombings haven’t been reported in days and the Air Force, as with most of the military, has been beset by defections.

US officials have also talked about directly aiding the protests, with Sens. John McCain (R – AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I – CT) urging the governent to send arms, apparently to ensure the Gadhafi-threatened civil war starts off right, with US-made weaponry.

In the end though, the protesters’ leadership insist they have made no effort to contact foreign governments for support, and they seem to have the situation well in hand without foreign interference, which they say is unwelcome. Having taken over virtually the entire nation through public protests, and stared down most of the worst of the regime’s violence, backing them into a corner including only part of the capital city, it is difficult to argue they need help.

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.