Jeff Byrne

    AS political turmoil continues in the Middle East and North Africa, attention remains focused on Libya and the struggle against the brutal rule of Muammar Gadhafi.

    Western coalition forces have established a no-fly zone over Libya in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973. The trouble is, the resolution does not set a goal — or exit strategy — for coalition forces. Resolution 1973 includes the phrase “whatever measures are necessary” to protect the Libyan civilian population.

    This has led some to interpret as broad consent for the removal of Gadhafi.

    Indeed, continued airstrikes on Gadhafi forces and military hardware has paved the way for gains by opposition forces. Their aim is of course to unseat the tyrant, which they have stated from the outset.

    This is as it should be. Libya is now in the throes of a civil war and it is now up to the Libyan people to take the initiative. Both the African Union and the Arab League have expressed disquiet about the direction of Western military action which they say has gone beyond the U.N. mandate.

    Whether coalition forces pull out or not, Libya is destined for protracted hostilities with untrained opposition forces battling a professional and well-armed military.

    What the Libyan opposition has is hope and a burning desire for a better life by throwing off the shackles of 41 years of despotic rule. It is a classic case of the emergence of hope when an oppressed people realize there is nothing left but hope.

    Apart from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which have joined the coalition, other Arab nations are keeping their heads down. They have their own problems. Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and others are all battling insurgencies.

    It should be noted that the Western countries leading the coalition forces are all deeply in debt. Military observers have estimated the Libyan excursion is costing US$100 to 300 million a week, a situation they believe is unsustainable. Indeed, there were massive demonstrations in Britain at the weekend protesting at harsh austerity measures.

    But, just yesterday, an unidentified Libyan interviewed by the BBC thanked coalition forces for their help and said it was time for them to go. The future was the responsibility of the Libyan people.

    These struggles by the peoples of North African and middle eastern nations are destined to continue long into the future. Widespread massacres in Kosovo, Rwanda and Darfur were not seen as meriting intervention at the time, so why Libya? Why now? If Arab countries could only unite, even agree to disagree on contentious issues, stability would follow. History shows, however, that this is unlikely in the foreseeable future.

    (The author is a Shenzhen Daily senior copy editor and writer.)