Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

The United States was drawn deeper into the conflict in Libya this week as top government officials confirmed that it would be supplying $25 million in “non-lethal” military aid to the rebel groups fighting the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.

While foreign policy circles here have been buzzing with talk of arming rebel groups, the Obama administration informed Congress this week that the U.S. would provide the rebel Transitional National Council with existing Pentagon stocks of medical supplies, uniforms, boots, tents, personal protective gear, radios and Halal meals, officials said.

Initially, the administration had proposed supplying the rebels with vehicles and portable fuel storage tanks but those items were dropped from the list of potential aid on Wednesday after concerns were expressed that they could be converted into offensive military assets, the officials said.

Media reports said that while initially the administration intended to provide the rebels, primarily based out of Benghazi, with vehicles and portable fuel storage tanks, “those items were dropped from the list of potential aid... after concerns were expressed that they could be converted into offensive military assets.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted as supporting the provision on “non-lethal” supplies to the rebel groups, arguing that the aid would support U.S. efforts “to protect civilians and the civilian populated areas that are under threat of attack from their own government in Libya.”

Aid would be “drawn down from items already in government stocks that correspond with the needs that we have heard from the Transitional National Council,” Ms. Clinton said, however adding, “This is not a blank check.”

Thus far the Pentagon was said to have spent $608 million on operations in Libya, according to Politco magazine, and Defence Secretary Robert Gates said at a Congressional hearing last month that if operations continued at planned levels, they would cost about $40 million per month.

From The Hindu

Intelligence suggests that some opposition forces in Libya that have been receiving support from Western powers and now NATO may have “flickers” of Al-Qaeda influence, according to James Stavridis, United States Admiral and Commander of NATO forces.

In comments made at a U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday, Admiral Stavridis also hinted that the rebels might have links to Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based group.

“The intelligence that I am receiving at this point makes me feel that the leadership that I'm seeing are responsible men and women who are struggling against Colonel Qadhafi... We have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah.”

He said, “But at this point, I do not have the detail sufficient to say that there is a significant Al-Qaeda presence or any other terrorist presence in and among these folks.”

However NATO was examining very closely the content, composition, the personalities and who the leaders of the opposition forces were.

His comments came even as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended a conference on the Libyan situation in London, with the arming of the rebels being a key question addressed.

Top U.S. officials including Ms. Clinton have repeatedly said under the Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorised the imposition and enforcement of the no-fly zone in Libya, UNSC members did have the option to arm rebels despite an overall arms embargo for the country.

However Admiral Stavridis' comments are likely to add another layer of complexity to such a process.

From The Hindu

In a speech that was long on grand sentiment and short on strategic detail, United States President Barack Obama laid out the justification for the U.S.’ military intervention in Libya, at the National Defense University here.

Speaking to an audience of top military brass but addressing his remarks to the American people, Mr. Obama cast Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi as a murderous "tyrant" who targeted innocents, saying, "There is no question that Libya — and the world — would be better off with Qadhafi out of power..."

Mr. Obama also reiterated the message that he was abiding by his promise that in the Libyan engagement "America’s role would be limited; that we would not put ground troops into Libya; that we would focus our unique capabilities on the front end of the operation and that we would transfer responsibility to our allies and partners."

However, he did not spell out how long the present phase of the operations would last, the date on which all U.S. troops not a part of NATO would withdraw, and how exactly he visualised balance of power between Qadhafi and the rebel groups in Libya evolving.

Striking a defensive note, the President said the U.S. had intervened in Libya because - "We had a unique ability to stop that violence: an international mandate for action, a broad coalition prepared to join us, the support of Arab countries, and a plea for help from the Libyan people themselves."

Yet in doing so, he made no mention of the fact that numerous nations including India, and the United Nations Security Council members China and Russia, had abstained from voting through the resolution mandating action by Western powers on Libyan soil.

From The Hindu

In media interviews over the weekend, United States Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have hinted at uncertainty over the duration of Western nations’ involvement in the Libyan conflict.

When asked in an interview with CBS whether a lengthy military involvement implied the U.S. was again embarking on a regime-change project, Ms. Clinton said: “If we have learned anything over the past number of years, regime change is very complicated and can be very expensive and can take a long time. And so I think the key here was establishing a military mission that was achievable... on a limited period of time and it could be sustained.”

Yet, in the same interview, in response to a question on Pentagon reports that the no-fly zone imposed over Libyan airspace under a United Nations resolution would last three months or more, Mr. Gates said: “I don't think anybody has any idea.”

Ms. Clinton suggested there was also continuing uncertainty on whether the Western alliance would arm the rebels fighting Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi’s forces. Ms. Clinton said there had been no such decision, however, the U.S. was “in contact with the rebels” and she had met with one of the leaders.

However, Ms. Clinton added that should it be deemed necessary to arm the rebels, there was legal basis to do so under the U.N. mandate, because, “There is an arms embargo against the Qadhafi regime that was established in ... Resolution 1970, which applied to the entire country. In the follow-on resolution, 1973, there is an exception if countries or organisations were to choose to use that.”

From The Hindu

Command and control of military operations in Libya, in particular, the enforcement of the no-fly zone imposed under a United Nations Security Council resolution, will transfer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday.

In a statement Mr. Rasmussen said, “We are taking action as part of the broad international effort to protect civilians against the attacks by the [Muammar] Qadhafi regime,” adding that NATO would seek to cooperate with its partners in the region and welcome their contributions.

Mr. Rasmussen also said that all NATO allies were committed to fulfil their obligations under the U.N. resolution and that is why the alliance decided to assume responsibility for the no-fly zone.

Mr. Rasmussen’s announcement of the second phase of the military operations came after more than five days of aerial bombardment of targets in Libya by the Western alliance comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, France and other nations.

Even as the transfer of command and control was outlined, the U.S. State Department, in a conference call with journalists on Friday, denied that any cracks had emerged in the Western alliance, or in the international community’s support for military action against the Qadhafi regime.

Specifically, State Department Spokesperson Mark Toner said in response to a question from The Hindu that notwithstanding suggestions that nations such as Russia had disputed the U.S.’ claims surrounding civilian casualties resulting from the air strikes, the key backers of UNSCR 1973, authorising the no-fly zone, were on board.

Mr. Toner said that even if some countries had differing views on the ongoing action in Libya, it was due to the rapid deployment of force and actions taken on the ground by the Western alliance that a humanitarian crisis in Benghazi been averted.

From The Hindu

After days of prevarication through the peak of the Libyan crisis, the United States government finally moved on Friday evening to impose unilateral sanctions against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.

The Obama administration’s latest move came even as the United Nations Security Council planned to reconvene on the subject of violence in Libya and the consequent prospect of UN sanctions.

In a statement on Friday U.S. President Barack Obama said, “The Libyan government’s continued violation of human rights, brutalisation of its people, and outrageous threats have rightly drawn the strong and broad condemnation of the international community.”

Indicating the U.S. intention to coordinate its punitive actions with the international community Mr. Obama said that his administration would work closely with the UN and other allies in this regard.

Meanwhile the UNSC, including India, contemplated further sanctions against the Qadhafi government for its violent repression of protestors in Tripoli and elsewhere.

Maria Luiza Ribetro Viotti, who holds the rotating UNSC presidency for February, said in a statement that the Council was poised to consider a draft resolution on Libya on Saturday and action was “possible” against Tripoli given that “there is a sense of urgency,” regarding developments in that country.

In comments to media Ms. Viotti warned that the situation in Libya was deteriorating with reported violations of human rights, adding, “The [UNSC] draft resolution includes targeted measures aimed at putting an end to violence and [achieving] a peaceful solution to the current crisis, and ensuring accountability of the Libyan people.

In imposing a freeze on all assets and property of certain individuals and institutions linked to the Qadhafi regime Mr. Obama said in an executive order that his administration had found that “Colonel Muammar Qadhafi, his government, and close associates have taken extreme measures against the people of Libya, including by using weapons of war, mercenaries, and wanton violence against unarmed civilians.”

In the order Mr. Obama said the he further found that “there is a serious risk that Libyan state assets will be misappropriated by Qadhafi, members of his government, members of his family, or his close associates if those assets are not protected.”

Given these circumstances, and the fact that growing numbers of Libyans were seeking refuge in other countries from the attacks, the deterioration in the security of Libya posed a serious risk to its stability and to the national security and foreign policy of the U.S., Mr. Obama concluded, and this justified the imposition of sanctions. Meanwhile the State Department confirmed that it had completed the withdrawal of its embassy personnel from Tripoli and suspended all embassy operations effective February 25th.

From The Hindu

The United States persisted with its muted response to the unfolding crisis in Libya on Wednesday, with President Barack Obama reiterating his condemnation of violence by Libyan forces against protestors, but stopping short of declaring sanctions or supporting any stronger measures.

In a statement to the press Mr. Obama said that his “highest priority” was to protect American citizens in Libya, adding however that the U.S. also strongly supported the universal rights of the Libyan people and “strongly condemn the use of violence in Libya.”

Yet unlike other leaders, notably French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was said to have publicly called for sanctions against Libya, Mr. Obama only hinted at a “full range” of measures that his administration might take against Libya for potential human rights violations.

He said, “I have also asked my administration to prepare the full range of options that we have to respond to this crisis. This includes those actions we may take and those we will coordinate with our allies and partners, or those that we will carry out through multilateral institutions.”

In a similar vein State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said to media here that while there were lots of actions that the U.S. could prospectively take, many of these actions required legal and executive orders to be undertaken, which implied a “standard of due diligence.”

Mr. Crowley said, “We are in the process of fully understanding and documenting what is occurring in Libya. We are prepared, as we are saying, to take appropriate actions internationally as well as... nationally, but many of these steps require some preparation.”

In his comments Mr. Obama however noted that he had asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to travel to Geneva on Monday to join with the foreign ministers of other nations in a discussion on developments in Libya and other parts of the Middle East by the Human Rights Council.

Additionally, William Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, was slated to make several stops in Europe and the region to intensify the U.S.’ consultations with allies and partners about the situation in Libya, Mr. Obama added.

From The Hindu

The United States is “gravely concerned” by “disturbing reports and images coming out of Libya", according to a statement issued over the weekend by State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.

In remarks to media posted on Sunday, Mr. Crowley said the State Department was working to ascertain the facts, but had received multiple credible reports that "hundreds" of people had been killed and injured in the recent period of unrest in Libya.

While admitting that the full extent of the death toll was as yet unknown due to the lack of access of international media and human rights organisations, U.S. diplomats had raised to a number of Libyan officials, including Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa, “our strong objections to the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators", according to an official.

The comments regarding developments in Libya follow growing concern in the U.S. surrounding protests across the Middle East, beginning in Tunisia and Egypt and more recently spreading to Bahrain and Libya.

Both President Barack Obama and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon had respectively reiterated their condemnation of the "violence used against peaceful protesters", to the King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Donilon were said to have “strongly urged the government of Bahrain to show restraint, and to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.”

Similarly, in an interview this weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. had been “very clear from the beginning that we do not want to see any violence", describing the action against protestors in Bahrain as deplorable and "absolutely unacceptable".

While pressing Bahrain to return, as quickly as possible, to the reform that it had started, Ms. Clinton also cautioned that the U.S. was keen to see the human rights of the people protected, including right to assemble and the right to freedom of expression.