The US military intervention in Libya is a dangerous situation. On one hand, rebels and citizens of Libya are desperately asking the west and others for help against Qadaffi’s forces. There is a desperate need and interest for the US to stop these crimes against humanity that are a result of Qadaffi’s tyrannical rule. But on the other hand, we must be careful to not go too far or get too involved.
The use of military force is a slippery slope. We have already fired more aircraft missiles than any other country or coalition force.
Not only does each missile cost money, but we must be cognizant of how our actions are perceived — not only by Libyans, but other countries as well.
The US hasn’t always made the best decisions as far as being the world’s police force, and the consequences of our actions have been far from perfect as well. Russia and China have both objected to our military intervention in Libya.
The disapproval of those countries isn’t something that we should ignore. Russia has been a US ally as of late. The US made significant progress under the leadership of Obama through the START treaty.
China’s opinion shouldn’t be ignored either. Their economy is growing rapidly, and is the second-largest behind ours. Much of our debt is held by China. Its economic power is something that we must constantly be considering.
Furthermore, this is an opportunity for us to either gain or lose a significant amount of respect from other countries and foreign leaders. It is absolutely crucial that we don’t come off as a nation that is quick to jump into war with anyone we see as threats. Military force cannot be perceived as our favorite solution to international problems.
There is a definite need to stand up for innocent civilians who are being murdered by dangerous dictators, but we must maintain consistency in aiding other foreign nations. Our perception by others is crucial toward our goals of establishing peace and democracy.
