On March 17th the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution authorizing UN members "to take all necessary measures... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack" in Libya. I was giving a speech in the United Arab Emirates at the time and had a ring side seat to the very positive Arab response to the "no fly zone".

I wonder what they are thinking now that a peaceful protest movement has morphed into a civil war. Thousands of civilians have been killed, about 300,000 displaced, and according to the UN, 750,000 have fled the country. Muammar el-Qaddafi's forces have pounded the city of Misurata while NATO warplanes continue to strike targets in the capital city of Tripoli. But lost amidst this flame and fury is the simple concept that the Libyan population should be protected.

When governments are willing to use tanks, helicopters, artillery and automatic weapons to brutally silence peaceful dissent - as is in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain - the ability to deploy overwhelming ground forces could be the only means to actually protect civilians while driving repressive dictators to step down. Unfortunately, such a force does not exist. Today no nation or coalition today has the capability, desire or credibility to successfully put boots on the ground in Libya. There is even less political will to respond to the atrocities underway in Syria.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced this week that it has uncovered proof that the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces have committed crimes against humanity in attacking civilians, and ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has said that he will seek arrest warrants for up to five people.

The situation in Libya was referred to the Court for investigation in February by a unanimous vote of the U.N. Security Council.  The ICC launched its investigation shortly thereafter.  Prosecutor Ocampo is expected to brief the U.N. Security Council on the results of his investigation on May 4, and his recommendations for indictments should be received by ICC judges within the next few weeks.

Prosecutor Ocampo said that "We have strong evidence on the beginning of the conflict, the shooting of civilians," adding that the murder of unarmed civilians would be considered a crime against humanity.  "Also, we have strong evidence of the crime of persecution,” including "massive arrests and torture of people, and some forced disappearances ... (for) talking to journalists or going to demonstrations." 

In his article Why attack Libya and not Syria?, CNN's Alan Silverleib lays out the many political reasons the United States and international community intervened in Libya but refrained from intervention in Syria, including:

• Libya happened first
• A large portion of Libya was controlled by the rebels and not Moammar Gaddafi
• There was international will to intervene in Libya, while there is no consensus on Syria
• The Arab League supported multilateral action in Libya but not in Syria 
• Arab leaders are generally closer to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad than they were to Libyan leader Gaddafi
• Israel content with Assad at the moment sees upheaval of Syrian leadership as risky

These are all sound political reasons not to intervene in Syria and probably designates military action in Syria impractical imprudent.  But what about the Syrian people?  What about the over 400 innocent Syrian civilians who have been killed since protest started in March?  I think it's important that we examine precisely what the responsibility to protect demands from the international community.  Maybe Syria is a case in which RtoP requires us to take action but real world political consequences make such action impossible.

On Monday, April 18, Citizens for Global Solutions ran a full page advertisement in the New York Times that calls for three essential actions for the U.N. to take in Libya. We are reaching out to Americans because we now live in a new age where the international community has accepted its responsibility to protect. But you can’t protect babies from 30,000 feet nor should this be the job of the U.S. and its allies alone.  The United Nations must have the support and tools that it needs to get these jobs done:

1. Deployment of U.N. Peacekeepers On the Ground to Protect Libyan Civilians;
2. Provision of Food, Water, Medicine and Shelter for Displaced People in Libya;
3. U.N. Sponsored Elections to Bring Democracy and a Legitimate Government.

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