In Libya a dictator wages a war with military inferior rebels as well as civilians. He can only do so, because he has been highly upgraded through European arms transfers in the past. Meanwhile, UN security council resolution 1970 has established a weapons embargo on Libya. Should Europe adhere to the embargo? Or - given a broader definition of the embargo - should Europe provide the rebels with weapons?
In HSFK-Standpunkt Nr. 7/2011 Ein hausgemachtes Dilemma. Der Bürgerkrieg in Libyen erteilt Europa einige unangenehme Lehren, Caroline Fehl discusses the arguments of both sides. She concludes that both options bear extensive risks and that Europe is faced with a serious dilemma with no easy way out.
Dr Caroline Fehl is a research assistant at Goethe University Frankfurt and at the Cluster of Excellence "The formation of normative orders". Her areas of research include international organizations, security policy, arms control as well as EU foreign policy.
This Standpunkt issue is available as free download (PDF file).