The Libyan Decision: Part I

(Posted on 20/03/11)

For weeks, the UK government has felt the pressure on what to do with Libya. In February, Libyan troops began firing into groups of demonstrators. Before long, Foreign Secretary William Hage met with Saif al-Islam, who is Muammar Gaddafi's son, and made it quite clear that everyone in the UN had serious concerns about the ongoing and increasing violence. Days later, the prime minister was requested to order the Libyan ambassador to report. Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander was quite vocal in his expectations: "Make clear to him Britain's revulsion at the sickening scenes we are witnessing". Gaddafi was on notice. There was no mincing of words when it was announced Britain would do anything and everything it could to ensure restraint, reforms and violence ceased - even if it meant air strikes against the country.

Meanwhile, deaths were still being reported and the U.S. people soon discovered their president and secretary of state were at odds. In fact, President Obama was anything but clear in his intentions, which led to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announcing she would not be seeking a second term and while she didn't voice it, people in her office did: She's sick of Obama's back and forth antics.

A weary al-Islam took to state television to pass the message along. There was no denying the fear in his face as he denounced "foreign media" for its exaggeration of deaths. Human Rights Watch had recently estimated more than 200 people had died as a result of the unrest.

In the meantime, the brouhaha continued in the U.S. and British Petroleum made the decision to begin evacuating its workers and their family members from Libya in anticipation of what would soon become an airstrike led by UK and U.S. military forces.