Libya

This year, NATO grabbed headlines for its active intervention in Libya, a non-member state in North Africa. Under the influence of President Obama, the alliance intervened directly to halt Moammar Gadhafi’s crackdown on protesters. (President Obama’s self-described “lead from behind” style in Libya signaled a new, multilateral strategy in his administration’s foreign policy.)

In Libya, NATO forces enforced a no-fly zone and arms embargo and flew about 9,500 strikes against pro-Gadhafi forces, accelerating the fall of the longtime dictator. Some hail the mission as a “model intervention,” with members of the alliance sharing the burden of the seven-month campaign and working together for global stability. However, critics argue
that by rushing into the conflict NATO set a dangerous precedent of denying a foreign nation’s sovereignty at the first signs of civil unrest.

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Aside from the politics of Libya, world leaders at this year’s meeting will discuss what they can learn from the intervention in terms of military strategy. As Robert Haddick writes, the campaign in Libya revealed “critical shortcomings” in Europe’s defense capabilities which had to be patched by the United States.

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