The mood in the Commons was sober, worried, passive and resigned – not welcoming the dawn of a new era in the Middle East, but fearful that this could be the start of a third, long Western war against a Muslim state. A bloodbath in Benghazi had been avoided in the nick of time, a strong UN resolution had been obtained, and the Arab League of 23 Member States was on side. But the nagging anxieties kept showing through – uncertainty about the outcome, fears about mission creep, concerns that the support of the Arab League was wobbling, and complaints about selectivity in the application of moral principles. Continue reading
Tagged with Arab League
No-fly zone: where will it lead?
Stopping a charnel house of slaughter if Gaddafi had re-taken Benghazi is a legitimate objective for imposing a no-fly zone provided it has been sanctioned by the UN Security Council, and especially in this case if it is supported by the Arab League. Now that that has been achieved however, the risks multiply. With Libya now declaring adherence to the UN resolution, a long stalemate could well result with Arab sentiment slowly ebbing away as gratitude for humanitarian intervention is gradually replaced by resentment at colonialist involvement. Continue reading
