NATO made the right call on helping Libya

„Libya has rightly dominated the headlines in recent weeks. Many views have been expressed, including those who favor doing nothing and those who accuse the international community — and NATO as part of it — of not doing enough. It is quite right that we should have this debate. A free and open media is an essential characteristic of democratic societies and is, ultimately, one of the values we are battling to help secure for the Libyan people.

These disparate views in the newspaper headlines underscore the fact that it is never easy to forge a broad-based agreement to take military action. But the international community and NATO had to act in Libya — and we did so quickly. Let me explain why, and why I believe our course of action to be the correct one.

First, we could not stand idly by while Col. Moammar Gaddafi unleashed indiscriminate violence against his people as they sought change from his despotic regime. Defying worldwide appeals for restraint, his forces brutally attacked Libyan civilians with tanks, heavy guns and snipers. Second, our actions have been based on the support of the international community, including the United Nations, the Arab League and countries in the region, every step of the way.

When the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1973 on March 17, voting 10 to 0, it made a historic statement that it was prepared to take on the responsibility of protecting the Libyan people against systematic attacks, which — according to Resolution 1970 on Libya — may amount to crimes against humanity.”