Western Europe

Obama and Cameron agree to increase military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on Gaddafi

By the White House

From the White House:  President Obama spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron today [4/20] as part of his ongoing consultations with coalition allies and partners on Libya.

NATO Mission Creep Underway

By James Joyner, the New Atlanticist

From James Joyner, the New Atlanticist:  A month to the day of my post Libya Mission Creep Inevitable, the creeping began in earnest with the announcement that the Brits and French will send in advisors to the Libyan rebels.

France to send military liaison officers to Libya

By Sylvie Corbet, the AP

From Sylvie Corbet, the AP:  France is joining Britain in sending military officers to Libya to help rebel forces organize and bolster the NATO air campaign that has failed to rout Moammar Gadhafi’s military.

Libya: Mission creak

By the Editors of the Guardian

From the Editors of the Guardian:  The 20 British and French military advisers being sent to help the rebels in Benghazi do not constitute an occupation force.

Britain sending military team to help Libyan rebels

By William Hague, British Foreign Office

From William Hague, British Foreign Office:  The National Security Council has decided that we will now move quickly to expand the team already in Benghazi led by Christopher Prentice to include an additional military liaison advisory team. This contingent will be drawn from experienced British military officers.  These additional personnel will enable the UK to […]

“U.S. officials concede that some of their assumptions . . . may have been faulty”

By David Cloud and Ned Parker, the Los Angeles Times

From David Cloud and Ned Parker, the Los Angeles Times:  The failure of the international air campaign to force Kadafi’s ouster, or even to stop his military from shelling civilians and recapturing rebel-held towns, poses a growing quandary

A Core Question of German Foreign Policy

By Ullrich Fichtner, Spiegel

From Ullrich Fichtner, Spiegel:  The German abstention on the evening of March 17 was a mistake in the eyes of many UN observers and diplomats.

The Libya stalemate

By the Editors of the Washington Post

From the Editors of the Washington Post:  The contradictions at the heart of U.S. policy in Libya are becoming more acute.

Blame Westerwelle?

By Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, the International Herald Tribune

From Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, the International Herald Tribune:  When Germany abstained from the U.N. Security Council vote on Libya last month, quite a few eyebrows were raised

Libya crisis reveals divisions on EU defense policy

By Judy Dempsey, the International Herald Tribune