Clare Spencer | 11:22 UK time, Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Commentators discuss the US and UK announcement that they do not rule out supplying weapons to Libyan rebels.
In Foreign Policy Blake Hounshell puts forward the arguments for providing arms to rebels:
“One reason is that weapons are probably going to pour in anyway, perhaps from Egyptian stockpiles or factories and perhaps paid for by Gulf Arab states (indeed, the Wall Street Journal has reported that this is already happening, though Egypt denies it). Another is that the West, or the United States, will have more influence with the rebels if it is arming them than if it doesn’t – and thus may be better placed to shape events going forward. And, of course, the most straightforward reason for giving the rebels weapons is because they may not be able to protect themselves – let alone defeat … >>>
