President Barack Obama has finally admitted that his administration failed woefully in the stability planning of Libya after the ouster of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, as the leader of the country, by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Protests against Colonel Gaddafi started in eastern cities of Libya, in February 2011. By March, the United States, The United Kingdom, France, the Arab League of nations and other NATO members, pushed the United Nations Security Council to authorize a no-fly zone over Libya, and air strikes against the then national army loyal to Gaddafi.
In October 2011, by the help of NATO bombardments, Gaddafi was captured and killed by rebel fighters. But since day one of the Colonel’s death, Libya descended into chaos. The country’s infrastructure is gone. Its currency has depreciated badly. Various radical militants groups have emerged, battling each other for control of the country. The worse of them currently, is the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
It has been verified that ISIS is seizing territories in Libya, and the group is gradually using the country as its hub to launch more attacks, and recruit new fighters to join the main battle in Syria and Iraq.
Currently in Libya, there is no functioning government. The country is in a complete mess. There is no direction. There is no hope for the population.
In June 2014, elections were held in the country, but it ended in a dispute. Thereafter, two governments have emerged in the country. The first one is based in the capital Tripoli, with no backing from the United Nations. The second government has the backing of the United Nations and operates from the eastern city of Torbruk.
The United Nations has tried to unite the two governments. Earlier this month, a new unity government backed by the United Nations arrived in Tripoli. However, the various factions competing for power in the country, have warned the population not to co-operate with this new government. The leader of the faction ruling the western part of the country, has threatened to prosecute any of his ministers who co-operate with the newly arrived government. The new government is therefore stranded in Tripoli, culminating in heightening of tensions in once a peaceful and prosperous nation under Gaddafi.
It is against these events that when President Obama appeared on Fox News, Chris Wallace asked him whether invading Libya was the right thing to do. Obama looking very disturbed, answered Wallace briefly.
President Obama said “worst mistake was probably failing to plan for the day after, what I think was the right thing to do, in intervening in Libya.” The interview was aired on Sunday, April 11.
Observers say Obama’s answer reveals the deep division and opinion among the major NATO members who led the intervention in Libya.
In March this year, Obama openly criticized the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, for their roles in the NATO bombings in Libya.
President Obama told the Atlantic magazine that Mr Cameron became distracted of the intervention, and was completely confused. For Sarkozy, Obama said he wanted to promote French business interests in Libya, benefiting from the spoils of the war, especially in the oil reserves of the country.
After the disturbing admission by Obama that the intervention in Libya was a complete failure, White House spokesman, Josh Earnest said on Monday April 12, that Obama’s regrets extended to what the United States and the rest of the members of the coalition did not do.
He was quoted by the Guardian as saying “The president has tried to apply this lesson in considering the use of military and other circumstances. That asking the question about what situation will prevail and what sort of commitments from the international community will be required after that military intervention has been ordered by the commander in chief.”
The former peaceful Libya is gone. The current one is that of death and pain. The future looks bleak for the country. Certainly, Libya has become a Failed State. And we all know by now, who the perpetrators of this crime against the former peaceful country and its flourishing people was.
You want to support Anonymous Independent & Investigative News? Please, follow us on Twitter: Follow @AnonymousNewsHQ.
This article (Libya Libya Intervention by NATO: Obama Finally Admits it was the Worst Mistake of His Presidency) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.
He also failed to plan for what would happen next in the power vacuum left when the United States withdrew from Iraq. Though to be fair he ran for President on the grounds saying he would do just that, which I support. I support an end to all American military occupation of foreign soil. He also said he would pull out of Afghanistan running for election in 2007 but he is yet to do this.
At the state of the Union he said the biggest regret of his Presidency was the fact that race relations in the United States got worse under his leadership, not better. So I wonder which is the biggest mistake/regret, Libya or US race relations?
Personally I think doubling the national debt was the worst thing about the Obama Presidency.
Does anyone still believe that our interventions in N-Africa were really well-intentioned? That our actions were motivated by our concern for the poor benighted inhabitants of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria? You’ve got to be kidding. The intention was, and still is, to promote anarchy and destruction, and whatever your opinions about that we must admit that the whole agenda has been carried out with amazing skill. The planned initial goals have been reached and with the unwitting assistance of the European rank and file, the bloodshed and disruption we have instigated in foreign lands is now in thew process of takeing up residence in our own.