Under siege in Libya
At least 300 deaths have been recorded in Misurata—the last opposition-held city in western Libya—but rebels said the real death toll is closer to 1,000.
Civilian casualties continued to mount in the besieged Libyan city of Misurata this week, almost two months after forces loyal to dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi began pounding the port with rockets, cluster bombs, and sniper fire. At least 300 deaths have been recorded in Misurata—the last opposition-held city in western Libya—but rebels said the real death toll is closer to 1,000. NATO jets patrolling the skies above Misurata have so far proved powerless to stop the slaughter, as the regime has stationed its heavy artillery in densely populated neighborhoods—which the alliance won’t bomb for fear of killing civilians. “Misurata is finished,” said one local. “Someone needs to save us.” NATO has so far refused to deploy ground troops, but Britain, France, and Italy have agreed to send several dozen military advisers to the eastern opposition stronghold of Benghazi, to help organize the ramshackle rebel army.
President Obama’s poor military choices are prolonging Misurata’s misery, said The Washington Post in an editorial. The only planes that can “root out” the artillery Qaddafi has positioned in built-up areas—without causing massive civilian casualties—are American ground-attack aircraft like the A-10 Warthog. But Obama has refused to supply NATO with these planes, in order to make the “ideological point” that the U.S. is not playing the lead role in this operation.
The fact that Britain and France—the countries doing most of the bombing—“need U.S. help to take on Qaddafi’s pitiful forces should be a wake-up call,” said James Joyner in Foreign Policy. For too long, European nations have cut military spending and allowed America to “shoulder the burden.” This latest operation might serve to remind our NATO allies that there is “value in investing in their own defense.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Whoever’s at fault, the ongoing deadlock in Libya is a real threat to U.S. power, said Leslie Gelb in TheDailyBeast.com. Iran and North Korea are feeling increasingly confident as the “mighty NATO and the U.S. can’t humble that weirdo Col. Qaddafi and his pint-size army.” And the longer this conflict goes on, the more Tehran and Pyongyang will come to believe that “the West can’t do decisive harm to them.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The final fate of Flight 370
feature Malaysian officials announced that radar data had proven that the missing Flight 370 “ended in the southern Indian Ocean.”
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The airplane that vanished
feature The mystery deepened surrounding the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared one hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
A drug kingpin’s capture
feature The world’s most wanted drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was captured by Mexican marines in the resort town of Mazatlán.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
A mixed verdict in Florida
feature The trial of Michael Dunn, a white Floridian who fatally shot an unarmed black teen, came to a contentious end.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
New Christie allegation
feature Did a top aide to the New Jersey governor tie Hurricane Sandy relief funds to the approval of a development proposal in the city of Hoboken?
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
A deal is struck with Iran
feature The U.S. and five world powers finalized a temporary agreement to halt Iran’s nuclear program.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
End-of-year quiz
feature Here are 40 questions to test your knowledge of the year’s events.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Note to readers
feature Welcome to a special year-end issue of The Week.
By The Week Staff Last updated