USA: The Land of Enforcement?

There is an organization dedicated to international affairs and decisions on international laws. This organization is not the United States of America, but rather the United Nations. Yet the US has taken the role of police enforcement in several nations, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and other nations considered to be unstable by public opinion. But according to Inter Press Service, “Survey respondents see the United States as an unreliable ‘world policeman.'”

Now with the conflict in Libya, the question has arisen of whether the United States should intervene, but why should the US get involved? Is the US the global police? If so, then what is the purpose of the United Nations? Along with that idea, when should the US get involved in other international cases?

For those who are unaware, there is a conflict in Libya that Ibrahim Dabbash, Libya’s Deputy Representative, considers to be “not a civil war, it is not a conflict between two parties, it is the people who are defending themselves against the dictatorship.” Dabbash considers this a special conflict that will need specific operations, none of which include foreign deployment.

National Transitional Council chairman Ian Martin said, “It is very clear that the Libyans want to avoid any kind of military deployment of the UN or others.” While the rebels receive help through assets approved by the UN from the United Kingdom, the rebels refuse to allow help of military sorts.

Yet why should any organization help? In recent news, Qaddafi’s staff has fled the nation, his family has left, critical cities and strongholds have been lost, and Qaddafi has fled as well.

In the past week there have been sightings of Qaddafi’s staff fleeing. State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said, “Apparently, a convoy has entered [Niger], and it does include some senior members of the Qaddafi regime.” Even Qaddafi’s family was seen fleeing, as Qaddafi’s wife and three of his children had crossed into Algeria.

Between August 13 and August 28, the rebels were able to capture seven major cities including the capital city of Tripoli. The offensive to capture the major cities along the coast line suggest that Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, autocratic leader of Libya, has himself gone into hiding.

Rebels have captured Tripoli and Qaddafi’s birth city Sirte, while Qaddafi has yet to be found. He is hiding, the question is where. Rumors speculate that Qaddafi is hiding in the last of his strongholds in Bani Walid. “The Guardian” reports evidence of Qaddafi fleeing to Venezuela. The United Nation has gone so far as to restrict Qaddafi’s movement, and by international law it must be reported.

If the rebels have captured seven major cities, senior members are fleeing and Qaddafi is in hiding, why should the US start helping now? The rebels in the past month alone have proved that they have the capabilities of winning their conflict on their own. The last thing the US should consider is taking away the pride of a nation who does not want military support.