Libya: Quagmire in the Making?
Air power will be enough to escalate this war but not enough to win it. Although prohibited for now by the Security Council, “boots on the ground” will be required to remove Qaddafi.
While it is unclear how far the U.N.-backed resolution against Libya will go, what is clear is Muammar Gaddafi’s resolve to fight, says Robert Haddick. “Qaddafi is a particularly unscrupulous and ruthless adversary with long experience using terrorism as a strategic weapon—Libya was a large source of suicide bomb volunteers during the Iraq war—so members of the coalition should expect terror retaliation in various forms. Although his overseas bank accounts have been seized, Qaddafi already has the necessary money, troops, weapons, and ammunition to sustain a low intensity but brutal campaign against the rebels.”
