UN Resolution on Libya

The UN Security Council has just passed a resolution authorizing member nations to use force to protect civilians in Libya against their government. A no-fly zone is prominent in the tools, but action against tanks and artillery also appears to be within the scope of the resolution. What is specifically eliminated is any ground occupation force.

Here is what else is known: the resolution was publicly acclaimed by rebels in Libya, in their last remaining stronghold in the eastern part of the country. A crowd in the square of Benghazi cheered the news. Around that time, Gadhafi went on the radio to threaten Benghazi with "no mercy." Both of these legitimize the UN action. (There are also reports of more conciliatory statements from the government caught unprepared for the UN action.)

But whether any action will come in time is the great unknown at the moment. The first expected action is bombing of Libyan anti-aircraft installations. What else is not known, but arming rebels may not be within the resolution's authority.

So far it is pretty clear that the U.S., UK, France and Italy are preparing to act (Italy simply by allowing US planes to take off from air bases on its soil.) The question is the involvement of Arab nations. The Arab League previously signalled support for a no-fly zone. AP reports that Jordan, Qatar and the UAE may participate.

So how is this different from Iraq? This is UN authorized and truly international. Occupation of Libya, even parts of it, is not authorized. It is a response to real, visible, documented violence against large numbers of Libyan people, and there is a defined opposition to the dictatorial regime. But everything will depend on how it is handled, and the results.