Libya Rejects Gadhafi Arrest Warrant

NATO, Rebels Praise Move, But What Will It Mean?

Early this morning, it was revealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant for Moammar Gadhafi as well as one for his son and another top official, accusing them of “crimes against humanity” related to a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Libya’s government was quick to dismiss the warrants, saying they don’t recognize the legitimacy of the court. The warrants were praised by the rebels in East Libya, as well as the NATO member nations currently attacking Libya.

But exactly what impact the warrants will actually have remains to be seen, and some analysts are already noting that it could make the Gadhafi regime less willing to seek a negotiated settlement if its top leadership is all going to end up in the Hague afterwards.

Which of course might well suit NATO just fine, as they have repeatedly rejected negotiated settlements and have demanded regime change as a condition of ending the war, even though it was nominally supposed to just be a no fly zone.

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.