Mullen: Libya War ‘Moving Toward Stalemate’

Over a Month In, War Making Little Headway

The latest in a long string of warnings to that effect, US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Michael Mullen warned that the war in Libya is “moving toward a stalemate,” even though the US believes it has destroyed as much as 40% of the Gadhafi regime’s ground forces.

Mullen warned that the situation was already “stalemate-like” in the contested cities of Ajdabiyah and Brega. The direct US role in the war began in mid-March, and the situation on the ground remains largely unchanged.

Of course Mullen was warning of a stalemate over a month ago, within hours of the first US bombs falling. The goals of the war remain largely undefined, and while officials insist they want Gadhafi ousted, NATO maintains this falls outside of the UN mandate under which the war was launched.

Despite accomplishing nothing with the war so far, President Obama has authorized drone strikes as the latest escalation. Officials say the drones will allow for more attacks inside cities, particularly the western city of Misrata.

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.