Ok so do you support it? I don't support it. Since 2011 Libya has been suffering and yet to recover. It is another failed US intervention.
I know this isn’t strictly Syria related but I wanted to know what the opinions of pro Syrian rebel users on western intervention in Libya (I guess the recent Turkish intervention has me thinking about Libya a lot).
Did you support or oppose it? Did you support it at the time but are now against it? Maybe the opposite and were against it at the time but now think it was a good idea?
Was the get in get out strategy employed in Libya better or worse than the strategy employed in Afghanistan/Iraq (ie letting the locals get on with it instead of trying to build a new country modelled after some western ideas)?
It’s a bit late now but would you have supported a Libya style intervention into Syria sometime before Russia’s entry into the war (IMO at least that’s what forever closed the door on any chance of intervention)?
As the American election nears, Secretary Clinton’s foreign policy record has been the target of significant scrutiny, including her support for the joint intervention in Libya in 2011. The intervention, a joint operation between the US and a number of European and other nations, has had mixed results: while the dangerous dictator and confirmed sponsor of terrorism Gaddafi was removed from power, the resulting power vacuum resulted in a long civil war and a period of violent anarchy which persists to this day. Notably, President Obama has recently called the intervention the “worst mistake” of his time in office.
The New York Times recently ran a fantastic expose detailing how Secretary Clinton was the key force pushing for American intervention in spite of hesitation by President Obama, placing her in a key position of responsibility for the outcome. However, others have pointed out that it was key European nations, not the United States, that speared the effort in Libya, and thus those states hold greater responsibility. Still others have noted that we cannot know what would have happened if intervention had not occurred: given Gaddafi’s threats to exact revenge on the rebellious population, perhaps his anarchic overthrow is preferable.
Was the Libyan intervention the right choice at the time? Does Secretary Clinton bear responsibility for the consequences of the intervention, or does that fall on the US as a whole, or on its European partners? What should have been done differently? What should the world do to improve the current Libyan situation?
Credit to /u/This-Is-Not-A-Test for inspiring this post.
