9/27/14, "Dismal Lessons From Libya and Yemen," NY Times Editorial Board, Sunday Review
"As the United States barrels into a new war against Sunni extremists in Iraq and Syria, it has been easy to overlook the unraveling of Libya and Yemen.
For
distinct and complex reasons, both countries appear to be on an
irreversible path toward becoming failed states. While the Obama
administration’s quest to destroy the Islamic State terrorist group is
more urgent and ambitious in scope than its military interventions in
Yemen and Libya, the dissolution of order in both nations offers
sobering lessons.
American
airstrikes can deliver swift and decisive results on the battlefield.
But without a feasible morning-after plan or dependable state
institutions to support, shifting the dynamics on the battlefield often
makes things worse.
The military action against the Islamic State
has been impressive, with American and allied Arab fighter pilots
leveling logistic hubs and oil refineries used by the terrorist group,
also known as ISIS. But there have been insufficient and poorly articulated answers to the question that matters the most:
What happens next?
The deadly and chaotic aftermath of America’s military intervention
in Libya is rife with cautionary signals. In 2011, as the Libyan leader
Muammar el-Qaddafi was crushing an uprising, President Obama and allied
governments hastily put together a coalition to intervene. Much like
the latest campaign in Iraq and Syria, the mission in Libya was
initially billed as an urgent humanitarian response
.
When the United States and allies started bombing Libya, Mr. Obama decided, over the objection of top legal advisers, that he did not need explicit permission from Congress.
Some lawmakers protested
at the time, but not strenuously enough. That disregard for Congress’s
power to declare war partly paved the way for Mr. Obama to launch the
new campaign in Syria without authorization.
Qaddafi’s relatively swift ouster
initially made the outcome in Libya look like a foreign policy victory
for the Obama administration. But fighting among rival militias, and a
broader conflict between Islamists and their opponents, have plunged the
nation into a new civil war. The United States abandoned its embassy in
Tripoli this summer, a painful retreat almost two years after an
American ambassador and three of his colleagues were slain in an attack
in Benghazi.
President Obama recently told Thomas L. Friedman
of The Times that failing to help Libya form a new state after the fall
of Qaddafi was his biggest foreign policy regret. Yet the fate of that
country has been largely absent from discussions about the new war,
which is certain to last longer and unleash a wider array of
consequences.
Instead, Mr. Obama, in making the case
for carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State, drew a dubious
parallel to counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, which he billed as
successful.
While
dangerous Al Qaeda offshoot organizations in tribal areas of southern
Yemen have been weakened by drone strikes, calling Yemen a success story
is absurd. A band of Shiite rebels has recently taken control over much
of Sana, the capital, showing how hard it is for the United States to
shore up a weak state, particularly given the highly unpopular American
drone campaign.
On
Thursday, the State Department announced it was pulling out all but
essential government personnel from Yemen and urged American citizens
there to leave.
The
administration and most lawmakers agree that destroying the Islamic
State is crucial. They would do well to dissect the lessons from other
American military interventions that have fallen short of their goals.
The dismal state of Yemen and Libya are powerful examples. So far,
officials seem content to focus instead on the narrow success of dropping bombs on targets."
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