The UN Security Council has voted for member states to use all means available to protect civilian populations in Libya. The two countries that pushed hard for this France and the United Kingdom are now waiting for the United States to step up.
Why does it always have to be US forces that are the tip of the spear? Both countries are thousands of miles closer than the US; both countries have Aircraft Carriers and large numbers of strike and air superiority aircraft. French and Italian air bases are in range of Libya. A no fly zone could be in operation right now using European assists so why are they waiting?
The answer is that they want the US to bear the blunt of the cost be it men, aircraft or money of this operation. For sixty years we Americans have spent large amounts of blood and treasure to protect the western world. Our so called allies have grown used to us being the world’s beat cop.
This really needs to stop we Americans get nothing but hatred from the world for doing this and as Iraq has shown we don’t even get the economic benefits of doing it since most of the oil contracts went to European companies and not American ones.
It made sense for us to play this roll just after World War Two, Europe was in shambles and the Soviets were not interested in working for the common good. But now twenty years after the end of the cold war it is time to pass the mantel to someone else or at lest to get more support from the rest of the first world.
As it is right now we have all the responsibilities of a world spanning empire with none of the benefits. The world has three chooses step up to the plate and take some responsibility, admit they are just vassal nations to our homogeny or paid us for being the world’s mercenaries.
