While the US is grappling with its problems elsewhere in the world - focusing mainly on ending its war in Afghanistan - Britain, France and Italy have been busy fanning the flames of a new conflict in Libya. Armed with a UNSC resolution, these countries had taken up the responsibility to impose a no-fly zone on Libya to protect the people from air attacks.
Slowly but surely they have been overstepping the UN mandate, first by attacking the Libyan ground forces, then demanding regime change - something they had initially denied was an objective of intervention. Reports now say that Britain, France and Italy have sent 'military advisors' to Libya to counsel the rebels on technical, logistical and organisational matters. And that they are not there to fight. Earlier, William Hague, Foreign Secretary of Britain, the first country to send such advisors to the embattled areas, had said they would not be involved in training or arming the rebels, nor help in planning operations. Which makes one wonder as to what could possibly be the purpose of placing these people in the middle of raging battles in eastern Libya.
It may be recalled that soon after the fighting broke out, a British helicopter had landed, without prior information, in a rebel held area, leading to the arrest of its occupants until verification of their identities. It transpired that the intruders had come to inquire about possible assistance requirements. A covert advisory service, hence, has been going on for a while. The present move, apparently, is aimed at maintaining an overt presence in order to facilitate provision of arms and training to the rebels. The hope of course is to oust Colonel Qadhafi and install a compliant government in this oil-rich North African country. Considering that Qadhafi still commands considerable loyalty among the armed forces and some powerful tribes, means that the conflict will drag on for a long time, causing unnecessary deaths and destruction. At best, it can end up dividing the country.
It is in the interest of all Libyans therefore to resolve the situation by accepting outside mediation, such as the initiative undertaken by the African Union earlier this month. Unfortunately, it did not go far enough, although Jacob Zuma, South African President leading a delegation of African leaders, had described a meeting with Colonel Qadhafi as a "huge successes", saying the Colonel had accepted the roadmap they presented him. The roadmap called for an immediate cease-fire, facilitating humanitarian aid, and dialogue between the government and the rebels.
The rebels rejected the roadmap straight away, saying they would not settle for anything less than Qadhafi's immediate removal. Understandably, the rebels want to see the back of him as soon as possible. But, it seems, a wiser course for them would have been to give the African Union's promise to present a political solution a chance. Perhaps a combination of political pressure and economic sanctions by the Western nations together with the people's demonstrated resolve to resist would have helped the AU to come up with a solution acceptable to both sides. Unfortunately, instigated by the Western countries, the Interim Transitional National Council, set up by the opposition, has decided to accept foreign advisors, and almost certainly arms, to fight on. That is unlikely to result in the immediate overthrow of the Qadhafi regime; but it will certainly put more and more Libyans in harm's way.