Stay Away

As unrest in Libya continues, the U.S. has now moved naval and air forces closer to Libya and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that all options were open. Some of the options include imposing a no-fly zone over Libya and flying aid into areas of Libya controlled by forces opposing Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi.

Are they insane? What we have in Libya is a brewing civil war and after the mess that is Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. still want to enter a civil war that pits them against Gaddafi?

Seriously, Gaddafi might be an ass but he has been president of his country for a long, long time and seen to have support in certain sections of the Libyan people. He is still holding the capital of Tripoli and reports has pro-Gaddafi forces taking back parts of the country which had fallen to the opposition. (Which may be why the U.S. want to enter the fray now as the tide seen to be turning in favor of Gaddafi)

However, entering now is a mistake. Like I said earlier, the tide seen to be turning; if the U.S. openly help the opposition now, then the opposition will never beat Gaddafi. Even if Gaddafi gets overthrown, any government that comes after him will not be accepted by the people. Instead of a victory by the Libyan people over Gaddafi, it will instead be a U.S. victory over Gaddafi.

By helping the opposition now, the U.S. may be hindering the opposition later if they managed to oust Gaddafi. Admittedly, that’s a big “IF” but for the long-term good of Libya the U.S. need to continue to do what they are currently doing. Stay the hell away from the country. Let Libyans sort the mess out themselves.