Today marks yet another day of a quickly escalating situation in Libya, as forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have stepped up their attacks on the rebel held oil town of Ras Lanuf. Gaddafi's forces have begun using airstrikes and warships to bombard the down in the hopes of driving Libyan rebels out of the vital oil-producing area.
Yet despite indusputable evidence of Gaadafi's massacre of his own people, and clear signs of full blown civil war breaking out in the nation, the International Community has still failed to do anything substantial to protect the Libyan citizens, or prevent the crisis from escalating.
The United States, humbled by their less-than-successful recent military forays into the Middle East have so far kept their finger off the trigger, and have done no more than discuss the possibility of creating a no-fly zone over Libyan airspace. But even on this proposal, the United States has been unable to muster any kind of support from a NATO that is in disarray, a United Nations binded by Russia and China who treat US prescence in the area like a direct assault on their homeland, and a European Union too busy keeping it's own constituents under control to worry about external affairs.
Surprisingly, France was the first nation to even pretend to show interest in ending the crisis in Libya before it escalates. The French minister announced today they were officially aknowledging the rebel government in Libya as the official government of the country, a purely symbolic move but a step in the right direction nonetheless.
Instead of dragging their feet amid worries of a repeat of Iraq, the United States needs to take an active stance to protect the Libyan people. In addition to following France's lead and formally aknowledging the Libyan rebels as the legitimate government of the nation, President Obama must enforce a no-fly zone around Libya. By doing this the United States can send a clear message to the world that violent oppresion of Democratic freedoms will not be tolerated, while at the same time reassuring the Libyan people and the rest of the Middle East that this battle will not be fought by foreign powers, and that this truly is "Libya's Revolution".
The United States has an ideal opportunity to both reassert their presence as a global force both militarily and diplomatically, and make a powerful statement that the spread of Democratic Ideals will be supported around the world.
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