Libya Operation May Not Have Wholly Desirable Results
Unintended consequences may dampen early success in Libya. The lessons learned by rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran is not to give up nuclear weapons.
The recent NATO action in helping depose Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi may not be the total victory that Western forces believe, said the former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Timothy J. Keating, USN (Ret.). Speaking at the opening keynote address for TechNet Asia-Pacific 2011 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Adm. Keating pointed out that other rogue nations may take the wrong lessons from Gadhafi's experience. He pointed out that, with intense U.S. pressure, Gadhafi turned his weapons of mass destruction arsenal over to the United States in return for greater acceptance in the international community. Within a decade, the United States actively supported a rebellion that overthrew him and led to his death. What are Iran and North Korea supposed to conclude from that sequence of events, the admiral asked the audience? Although conducted admirably, the Libyan operation might well harden the resolve of North Korea to keep its nuclear weapons, Adm. Keating warned. Nor does anyone know exactly how Libya will turn out in the future, he added.
