Western air and naval strikes against Libya are threatening the Arab Spring

[Catherina]

Libya intervention threatens the Arab spring
Despite its official UN-granted legality, the credibility of Western military action in Libya is rapidly dwindling.
Phyllis Bennis Last Modified: 22 Mar 2011 10:22


Within just 48 hours of the start of the bombing campaign, the US and its allies have lost the support of
the Arab League

Western air and naval strikes against Libya are threatening the Arab Spring

Ironically, one of the reasons many people supported the call for a no-fly zone was the fear that if Gaddafi managed to crush the Libyan people's uprising and remain in power, it would send a devastating message to other Arab dictators: Use enough military force and you will keep your job.

Instead, it turns out that just the opposite may be the result: It was after the UN passed its no-fly zone and use-of-force resolution, and just as US, British, French and other warplanes and warships launched their attacks against Libya, that other Arab regimes escalated their crack-down on their own democratic movements.

In Yemen, 52 unarmed protesters were killed and more than 200 wounded on Friday by forces of the US-backed and US-armed government of Ali Abdullah Saleh. It was the bloodiest day of the month-long Yemeni uprising. President Obama "strongly condemned" the attacks and called on Saleh to "allow demonstrations to take place peacefully".

But while a number of Saleh's government officials resigned in protest, there was no talk from Saleh's US backers of real accountability, of a travel ban or asset freeze, not even of slowing the financial and military aid flowing into Yemen in the name of fighting terrorism.

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Please read the rest http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/03/20113227357222118.html

Phyllis Bennis is a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. Her books include Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today's UN.