In an interview with Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times, US President Barack Obama has said that more aftercare was needed following the overthrow of Qaddafi:
“I’ll give you an example of a lesson I had to learn that still has ramifications to this day,” said Obama. “... our participation in the coalition that overthrew Qaddafi in Libya ... was the right thing to do. ... Had we not intervened, it’s likely that Libya would be Syria. ... And so there would be more death, more disruption, more destruction.
"But what is also true is that I think we [and] our European partners underestimated the need to come in full force if you’re going to do this.
Then it’s the day after Qaddafi is gone, when everybody is feeling good and everybody is holding up posters saying, ‘Thank you, America.’ At that moment, there has to be a much more aggressive effort to rebuild societies that didn’t have any civic traditions. ... So that’s a lesson that I now apply every time I ask the question, ‘Should we intervene, militarily? Do we have an answer [for] the day after?’ ”
The interview can be seen below:
(Source: NY Times)
