‘Boots on the ground’ to Libya
According to the BBC, British Foreign Secretary William Hague just announced that Britain will send 10 soldiers to Benghazi to assist Libya’s rebels with logistics, intelligence, and training. This announcement followed a plea from the chairman of France’s foreign affairs committee to send French commandos to Libya to direct NATO air strikes against Qaddafi’s forces.
In another surprising, if odd, development, Reuters is reporting that the European Union has developed a provisional plan to deploy a European military expeditionary force to Misrata, if requested by the United Nations. The mission of the expedition would be to protect aid deliveries to the city, which is currently under siege by pro-Qaddafi forces. What is odd is that according to Reuters, all 27 EU states endorsed this potential mission. Germany, which abstained during the UN vote authorizing military action in Libya and has refused to participate in the current NATO operation, might now be volunteering the Bundeswehr for a trip to the frontline in Misrata.
Each time a setback has occurred in Libya, the West has responded with military escalation. The arrival of Western journalists in Misrata is undoubtedly creating pressure on NATO’s political leaders to take additional steps against Qaddafi’s forces.
President Obama and his team are trying to simultaneously be good allies while also strictly limiting the U.S. military commitment. The Obama team must he stunned that NATO is struggling to achieve military effects against the rump of Libya controlled by Qaddafi. Britain and France are rumored to be running out of precision bomb guidance kits.
Libya’s rebels have counted on a bailout from NATO. Europe may similarly be counting on a military bailout from the United States. Is NATO’s operation in Libya too big to fail?
