Lybie: résister à la tentation d'envoyer des troupes sur le terrain

Avis dans le Daily Telegraph:

There are other alternatives. One is greater and more effective use of the air power already authorised by Resolution 1973. The lack of a positive contribution from members of Nato other than Britain and France has seriously hampered the effectiveness of the air campaign. On its own, air power probably cannot defeat Gaddafi. But it could make his life much more difficult.

Another option is training the rebels so that they become an efficient fighting force. That carries with it risks: from Vietnam onwards, sending in foreign military “advisers” has inevitably led, by small and apparently unremarkable steps, to the explicit involvement of foreign troops in combat – exactly the alternative we need to avoid. Training the rebels may be the only way to secure the defeat of Gaddafi. But if it is, the temptation to escalate our troops’ involvement needs to be resisted at all costs.