[BITList] libya - feet on the ground.

[x50type at cox.net]

cautionary tale – eh?
come on, guys – we need feet on the ground – call in the cavalry – yee haw!
the rebels need saving – let’s get another aghanistan going.
hey – libya will become another playground for al quada...........................
can’t be bad for the industrial/military complex one way or ‘tother.
let’s get in there - help boost the deficit.
ct


Arming Libya's rebels: A cautionary tale
By Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent 
 
Continue reading the main story 
Libya Crisis
  a.. Libya & Mid-East crisis Live 
  b.. Libya split in two 
  c.. Allied divided on arming rebels 
  d.. In pictures: Rebels advance 
As the fortunes of the Libyan opposition forces rise and fall, there is a growing concern within the coalition that its air power may not be enough to prevent the rebels' defeat, raising the spectre of atrocities threatened by Col Gaddafi. 

Given the clear disparity of military power between the two sides, there is already talk by some coalition countries of effectively setting aside the apparent restrictions of the UN arms embargo on Libya, to arm and train the rebel fighters.

Of course, we have been here before and the lessons of the past present a cautionary tale. In Bosnia during the early 1990s, Muslim forces were totally outgunned by the Serbs. The UN arms embargo simply served to freeze this disparity. 

After President Bill Clinton took office in Washington, there was a growing debate both inside and outside the administration for a dynamic new approach to the Bosnian crisis. It came down to four words: "lift", "arm", "train" and "strike". 





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