Crisis Alert: The Responsibility to Protect in Libya
Political protests demanding an end to Muammar Gaddafi’s 41-year reign began on February 14, 2011 in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, and have since spread across the North African state. The government of Libya has responded forcefully by dispatching the national army to crush the unrest. Gaddafi, in a speech broadcasted on February 22, 2011, said he would rather die a martyr than to step down, and called on his supporters to attack and “cleanse Libya house by house” until protestors surrender.
International Crisis Group has reported that military …