No U.S. Military Action Warranted in Libya Essay

No U.S. Military Action Warranted in Libya - Essay Example Qaddafi has been accused of violating human rights for decades and using the military to quell the rebel advancements. Therefore Obama’s bold rhetoric seems justified and responsible by many. However, George W. Bush remains accused of war crimes, violating human rights and illegally invading a country but if another nation’s leader was to say â€Å"Bush must go† most of those same people would not take it seriously. The U.S. has lost all credibility regarding military interventions especially in Arab countries. This gung-ho, tough-guy talk from our political leaders is empty, hypocritical and counter-productive. If the UN, with the blessing of the Arab League, thinks it proper to take action, that’s much more acceptable than the U.S. taking what is essentially unilateral aggressive action, again. This is not a video game. Enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, a country larger than the State of Alaska, (â€Å"Basic Facts,† 2011) is not as easy as many politicians, pundits and armchair warriors must be thinking it is. That’s a lot of air space to cover 24 hours per day seven days per week over unfamiliar territory. It’s anyone’s guess how much manpower and how many planes it would take to successfully keep the Libyan Air Force (LAF) on the ground. Some suggest the LAF pilots wouldn’t dare want to engage the U.S. ...The Libyans are no different. Its pilots would almost certainly put up a fight as would others loyal to Qaddafi. Would Libyans change their minds about rebelling when they see their own planes being shot down by a country well-known in the Arab world for its imperialistic tendencies? A no-fly zone would require U.S. and other soldiers who are mostly European, or ‘westerners,’ to occupy Libyan cities, ‘boots on the ground.’ â€Å"We had a no-fly zone over Iraq. It did not prevent Saddam Hussein from bombing his civilians and it did not get him out of office. We had a no-fly zone over Serbia: it still took 78 days of bombing to get Milosevic out of office. It did not get him out of Kosovo until we put troops on the ground with our allies,† Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. â€Å"I really want people to understand what we are looking at.† (â€Å"Clinton,† 2011) Is this what these saber rattlers are wanting and will U.S. citizens allow yet another invasion of an Arab country? Labeling the action as a ‘enforcing a no-fly zone’ gives the appearance the military is acting more in the role of a security guard. If politicians and others called it an ‘invasion force,’ which is a term closer to the reality of the situation, the idea would not be as widely accepted. Even if one thinks the U.S. should be involved militarily common knowledge suggests such an action is likely unsustainable. Senator John Kerry, presidential candidate in 2004, said this week the UN should consider bombing Libyan airports and runways. This tactic is intended to limit the use of already limited resources and the time of ‘western’ involvement.