Aziz Abu Sarah, director of Middle East Projects at George Mason University, argues that a no-fly zone is absolutely justified right now.
“I think it is not military intervention in the sense of sending troops in like Iraq coming in,” he stated. “In Libya, there is no way that foreign troops will be able to get in [to the country]. If that happens, it will change the situation drastically. But the no-fly zone will only prevent Gaddafi from bombing his own civilians.”
“What people would like to see is the Arab countries getting involved, and that is what the US has been trying to do,” he added. “Unfortunately, the Arab countries will not intervene because they see themselves in many ways in the same line with Gaddafi. They are afraid of facing the same situation, of being the next victim.”
By contrast, Karl Sharro, a writer and commentator on the Middle East, believes that the imposition of a no-fly zone is not justified, nor is any form of Western intervention.
“The mechanics of a no-fly zone would take a bigger commitment than any Western state would be ready to make at this moment,” he said. “I think Western governments are pressuring themselves to be seen doing something on Libya, when actually I don’t think it’s the right approach. They should back off and not intervene, and allow the situation to be determined by the Libyan people themselves.”
This material is presented as the original analysis of analysts at S-CAR and is distributed without profit and for educational purposes. Attribution to the copyright holder is provided whenever available as is a link to the original source. Reproduction of copyrighted material is subject to the requirements of the copyright owner. Visit the original source of this material to determine restrictions before reproducing it. To request the alteration or removal of this material please email [email protected].