Should a no-fly zone be imposed over Libya?

Some world leaders want to force Moammar Gadhafi's air force out of the sky — but will that solve problems or just lead to war?

Pentagon officials are in talks with European and NATO counterparts about imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.
(Image credit: Corbis)

As forces loyal to Libyan autocrat Moammar Gadhafi continue to rain violence on protesters in Tripoli, international leaders are scrambling to respond. On Saturday, the United Nations Security Council sanctioned Gadhafi and his family, and voted to refer him to a war-crimes tribunal. But some want to go a step further by imposing a no-fly zone — a complete ban on aircraft over the capital, or the entire country. Is this a good idea?

It's a good first step: Gadhfai would "slaughter hundreds or even thousands of his own people in his desperation to hang on to power," says The New York Times in an editorial. He and his henchmen must be told "in credible and very specific terms the price they will pay for any more killing," and that starts with sanctions, an arms embargo, and "imposing the kind of no-fly zone that the United States, Britain and France used to protect Kurds in Iraq from the savagery of Saddam Hussein."

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