OPINION:
Current events in Libya call for European resolve, leadership and action, but the last of these is noticeably absent (“European Union slaps wide sanctions on Libya,” Web, Monday). A referral to the International Criminal Court, sanctions and public condemnations are a most insufficient response to the vicious and mismatched fighting in Tripoli and surrounding cities.
With due respect for national sovereignty, I see international intervention as completely justified. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is a megalomaniac who is killing the citizens of Libya and even may resort to chemical weapons, although there are conflicting reports on the Libyan military’s ability to do so. Who, then, should intervene?
Whether it be under the leadership of a single country, NATO or the EU, Europe must step up to the plate. Libya is firmly within Europe’s sphere of influence, first by physical proximity and second in terms of energy security.
If Europe is waiting for the United States, it should stop waiting. With the demise of the Soviet Union, U.S. national security interests aren’t as closely aligned with Europe as they were previously, and two wars rightly occupy U.S. attention and resources.
To London, Paris and Berlin, I say your intervention is justified according to humanitarian concerns and national security requirements. It also is an opportunity for Europe to prove wrong the critics who continually predict Europe’s slide into irrelevance.
SCOTT NASON
Washington
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