At Saturday's Democratic debate, ABC News host Martha Raddatz asked Hillary Clinton about the U.S. intervention in Libya, a military campaign Clinton supported as secretary of state, calling it "smart power at its best." So, Raddatz asked pointedly, "how much responsibility do you bear for the chaos that followed those elections?" Clinton said that the entire region has become unstable because of the fallout of the Arab Spring and recruitment by the Islamic State, and that after the coalition toppled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Libya tried to vote in moderates but they didn't have the right ideas and power to bring stability.
"We offered a lot more than they were willing to take," Clinton said. If the U.S. was not going to send in troops — and that was never on the table — then there was only so much the U.S. government could do, she said. "Were mistakes made?" Raddatz asked. Of course, Clinton said, in foreign interventions there always are. Raddatz turned to Sen. Bernie Sanders. "The secretary is right" that Libya is a complicated situation, Sanders said. But intervention has unintended consequences, he added. "I'm not quite the fan of regime change that I believe she is."
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.
-
Ukraine hints at end to 'hot war' with Russia in 2025Talking Points Could the new year see an end to the worst European violence of the 21st Century?
-
What does the FDIC do?In the Spotlight Deposit insurance builds confidence in the banking system
-
2024: The year of conspiracy theoriesIN THE SPOTLIGHT Global strife and domestic electoral tensions made this year a bonanza for outlandish worldviews and self-justifying explanations
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
