Finally...and What Now?

It's now been three days since the United States and our European allies decided to force a no-fly zone over Libya and began targeting Libyan air defenses.  I've been advocating for this for a while, and I'm glad that it has finally happened; perhaps if we had taken this step a few weeks ago, when we should have, the war in Libya would be over and the forces of democracy would have won.

As it is now, all we've done is managed to save the rebels from extinction.  This is good because it means they can continue the fight.  Backed by US, British and French airpower, the rebels may very well be able to swing the tide and topple Qaddafi.  This is what we want, this is what we're hoping for, but it is now worth asking, what's the goal, what's the point, why now?

I'm not a military strategist, so I don't know what generals and admirals see as the military objective.  I'm not a diplomat, so I don't know what the President sees as the political objective.  What I do know is that had we taken decisive action a few weeks ago, it is probable that we could have ended this before it became a mess, achieving increased American national security while doing what was morally right.

Now, although I'm still glad we've finally taken the steps to support the rebels, I am curious about what comes next.  Will the rebels be able to overthrow Qaddafi on their own? Will the United States or our NATO allies have to commit ground troops?  President Obama has already ruled that out thankfully, but what if the rebels cannot win even with allied air power at their backs?  Then what will we have accomplished?

I commend the United States, Britain and France for taking actions that are morally just and beneficial for world peace and stability, especially when countries like China and Russia who benefit economically from that stability watch idly from the sidelines.  But the mission needs a defined goal and purpose.  President Obama has declared that goal to be the removal of Muammar Qaddafi, but can that be done with Tomahawk Missiles?  Count me as a skeptic.

It is thus, now very important now for the United States and our allies to take important diplomatic steps as well.  France has led the way in this endeavor, formally recognizing the rebel government as the legitimate government.  The United States should do this as well.  Our relationships with Libya should be with the government of the people.

Libya can become a democratic country led by the strength of its own people, and without the boot of a United States Marine ever touching Libyan soil.  In fact, Libya must become a democracy this way.  This is a Libyan movement.  Libyan democracy may be partially won on the tips of US Tomahawk Missiles, but it will not be sustainably constructed with the barrels of US assault rifles.

It's good that we've finally taken the step of assisting the Libyan rebels in their attempt to replace despotism with democracy.  It's now time to start thinking about how to hurt Qaddafi with our diplomacy and our policies, not just our bombs.

Libya's future and our security rest on more than just our weapons, they rest on our ideals, adopted by people worldwide.  We finally took an important first step towards helping some of those people realize those ideals themselves.  It's now time to nudge a nascent democracy forward with our diplomatic muscle.