Is it possible to financially starve Libyan despot Muammar Qaddafi into submission? This editorial from Germany’s Financial Times Deutschland warns that a no-fly zone would lead to another war that the West cannot afford to wage, and that the only way to defeat Qaddafi is massive global cooperation to deny his regime the funds it needs to survive.
The Financial Times Deutschland editorial says in part:
It’s enough to drive one mad: In plain sight of the world, the rebels in Libya are attempting to defend their newly-won liberty against the military superiority of Muammar al-Qaddafi. The country has slipped into a civil war that many thousands could fall victim to, and the world looks on helplessly.
But those who call for immediate military intervention – and that includes the establishment of a no-fly zone – are overlooking the fact that such a move would further aggravate the situation.
Enforcing a no-fly zone over a country in which a dictator is determined to go to any length to prevail and has command of a large air force and a rich array of air defense missiles, would mean war. And in this war, under current circumstances, the West would be on its own. Neither the Arab League, Russia nor China would participate. This would put the U.S. and Europe into an even more difficult position than in Afghanistan.
Those who want to confront Qaddafi without sending combat aircraft must block access to his oil millions. … The oil-consuming countries must act expeditiously and impose a halt to payments for all goods that profit the Libyan regime.
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