Originally published on the CGS blog on May 17, 2011.
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.
Back in Abu Dhabi, Arab policy makers I spoke to – weary of military engagements led by the United States and the West – opposed any NATO ground intervention in Libya, even to protect civilians. When I asked if Gulf State nations could do the job, the general response was that “we have our hands full at home.” But when asked if a truly “international force flying the UN flag” made up of all nationalities and religions deployed to protect civilians was acceptable, the response was positive. A permanent UN peacekeeping force also has the support of 64% of Americans.
The international community must have better tools to accomplish this mission. Now is the time to seriously consider creating a global 911 service that can rapidly, credibly and legitimately respond when a government uses it’s military to violently smash peaceful protest. The best proposal for would be the creation of a UN Emergency Peace Service designed to complement existing peace operations.
The plan calls for the UN to individually recruit, train and employ 10,000 – 20,000 personnel with a wide range of skills, including civilian police, military, judicial experts and relief professionals. It is designed to ensure that missions would not fail due to a lack of skills,
equipment, cohesiveness, experience in resolving conflicts, or gender, national or religious imbalance. With UN Security Council approval in hand, this force would have the legitimacy to enter countries in conflict and deter mass atrocities.
U.S. Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo this week told the UN Security Council that we have a limited “window of opportunity” to capitalize on cooperation to protect civilians. She called for “lasting improvements in our response to crises….for the sake of the innocent men, women, and children who rely on our collective action to defend them.”
The creation of a global 911 should not be put off. In the meantime the United States should support the deployment of UN peacekeepers on the ground to protect civilians; provision of food, water, medicine and shelter for displaced Libyans; and UN sponsored elections to bring democracy and a legitimate government. Click here to learn more and take action.
At its heart, the Arab Spring seeks to replace the law of force with the force of law. This is the vision that will bring peace to the region and great security to our world.
