Military operation in Libya. Virtual club

Five years ago, the UN Security Council passed a resolution that marked the beginning of Western intervention in Libya and a bloody civil war that continues to this day.

Judgment by international law

On the night of March 18, 2011, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. 1973, which many called a verdict on international law. On March 19, a full-scale military operation began in Libya.

But in order for the world community to calmly swallow such a dubious document, it was necessary to create the ground, to prepare. This is done, as a rule, by means of informational influence. Long before the adoption of the aforementioned resolution, the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was referred to in the media as a “bloody tyrant”, who tortured thousands of people in prisons, who executes his own people in batches. That is why in the text of the resolution itself, the emphasis was placed on the need to comply with the legitimate demands of the people - that part of it that rebelled against the ruling regime. The interests of those who were loyal to Gaddafi (and there were a majority) are not discussed in the resolution.

The beginning of the intervention

The events that followed the adoption of the resolution simply cannot be called anything other than an attack on the country. The Pentagon developed plans for military aggression against Libya, where step-by-step actions of the US military were prescribed: the destruction of aviation, the destruction of air defense systems, the destruction of coastal missile systems and the blockade of naval aviation. So it definitely didn't look like a humanitarian intervention, as they called it in the West.

By the time the resolution was adopted, the US Navy, which arrived on the coast of Libya back in February, was already ready to start hostilities, it was only necessary to get approval from the international community.

The first targets of the bombing by American aircraft were not only military infrastructure, but also government buildings, as well as Gaddafi's residence. Dozens of civilian targets were also attacked, according to Middle Eastern media. Footage of the destroyed Libyan cities, the atrocities of the NATO military and hundreds of dead children spread around the world.

Non-humanitarian mission

It is worth recalling that Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa, and the best oil in terms of its qualities. The main industrial sectors in the country were, respectively, oil production and oil refining. Due to the huge influx of oil money, Gaddafi made the country rich, prosperous and socially oriented. Under the "bloody tyrant" Gaddafi, 20,000 km of roads, factories, and infrastructure facilities were built.

As for foreign policy, Libya was quite independent, but there were many applicants for its resources. Of the Russian companies, Russian Railways, Lukoil, Gazprom, Tatneft and others were actively working in Libya. The West worked no less actively in Libya. The United States hoped to persuade Gaddafi to start privatizing the Libyan National Oil Corporation in order to safely buy up its assets and gain unlimited access to the country's resources. But Gaddafi did not go for it.

After that, Gaddafi becomes a "bloody tyrant" and "executioner" of his own people, and a revolution generously financed by the West begins in the country.

Everyone knows the results of the protracted civil war today: thousands of dead, hundreds of thousands of refugees, a country completely destroyed by hostilities, mired in poverty. But why President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to take a decision that was disastrous for the only Russian ally in North Africa and allowed to destroy everything that his predecessor Vladimir Putin achieved in this country is still a mystery to many.

Shortly after the events described, US President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and the settlement of the situation in the Middle East. In 2016, on the fifth anniversary of the NATO intervention, the alliance began preparations for a new invasion of Libya.

Why did NATO attack Libya? There are several reasons:

1. France and her ambitions

It was she who most openly opposed the Gaddafi regime, was the first to recognize the opposition government in Benghazi as legitimate, spoke the most about the possibility of military intervention, and was the first to bomb Libya.

The French Republic has shown surprising activity in the events in Libya, which makes us think about what this is connected with.

A) Firstly, in France, the post-imperial syndrome is very acute. The French, who until recently determined the direction of world politics, economics and, of course, culture, after the Second World War are in second and even third roles in the world. Not only are they not world leaders, they are not even leaders in Europe. France's influence on global issues is extremely small. At the same time, politicians in the country constantly declare that France is a great power.

Just as Russia considers the post-Soviet space a zone of its geopolitical responsibility (interests), France also considers North Africa, its former colonies, a zone of its own responsibility.

The loss of relatively serious control over North Africa puts an end to the foreign policy ambitions of France, means the final transformation of the country into an ordinary and average European country like Austria.

B) "Small victorious war" is one of the favorite ways to increase the popularity of the head of state and consolidate society.

President N. Sarkozy is now in an extremely difficult situation. There is about a year left before the elections, and his rating has fallen below 30%! Moreover, only 20% of the population are ready to vote for him.

In the recent regional elections, Sarkozy's party gained only 17%, while his main competitors - the socialists - 25%.

In addition, Marie Le Pen and her National Front party, which adheres to explicitly nationalist views, are starting to receive wide support, a record 15%. At the same time, the latter actively use the theme of the return of the former greatness of France, which is also the reason for their growing popularity. So Sarkozy's head will hurt more and more before the elections.

The war for Sarkozy is perhaps the last attempt to regain the sympathy of the French, the last chance to win the elections in a year.

2. The possibility of a humanitarian catastrophe

It is unlikely that many are ready to believe that the West launched an attack on Libya, trying to save its population from violence by Gaddafi's troops, but this factor seems to me to be quite significant.

Let's remember what we had by the end of the first weeks of confrontation in Libya. Every day we received messages about:

Air strikes by Gaddafi's troops on their own cities;

Violent dispersal of demonstrations with the use of firearms and aimed fire from snipers;

Hiring African mercenaries-thugs who began to patrol the streets of cities;

Harsh and threatening statements by Gaddafi addressed to the demonstrators, etc.

And most importantly, there were daily reports of dead and wounded, although, in fairness, it is important to note the lack of reliable and confirmed data on this matter.

In the United States and Europe, the events in Rwanda in 1994 are well remembered, when the outbreak of a civil war led to the genocide of the Tutsi people. During those horrific events, about 1 million people were killed. While Western governments were debating whether or not they should intervene, how to invade and what to do, in just 100 days the authorities massacred 1/10 of the population of an entire country. Every day of delay cost 10,000 lives...

Could such a scenario repeat itself in Libya? It is very difficult to say unequivocally, but it was quite possible, given how Gaddafi characterizes the protesters, namely: "dogs, terrorists, drug addicts, members of Al-Qaeda, enemies, traitors", and to fight them he is ready to arm the whole people, ready to take up arms...

In addition, Gaddafi began to behave simply inappropriately. And so much so that many began to call him insane and sick. The threat of a large-scale civil war with numerous casualties has become a reality, and the desire to stop it and the potential violent actions of Gaddafi's army against its people is one of the reasons for the invasion.

3. Oil

This paragraph probably surprised everyone who read yesterday's note, but the oil issue played an important role in the beginning of the war. The truth is in a slightly different way than it is commonly believed.

So Italy gets 22% of its oil consumption from Libya, France 16% and Spain 12%.

What are these countries interested in? It is to have a stable and relatively cheap source of oil, and also not to increase our dependence on Russia (for a number of reasons, I will not dwell on this here).

And the events in Libya directly threaten precisely these vital interests of the European countries. The beginning of the bloody events in Libya forced oil prices to soar to $120 per barrel, and oil supplies were noticeably reduced.

Moreover, Gaddafi repeatedly threatened to blow up oil pipelines, oil refineries and generally destroy the oil complex.

Simply put, the continuation of the civil war in Libya meant for the Europeans an increase in oil prices, unstable supplies of oil, the lack of which can essentially be covered only by increasing supplies from Russia.

In the context of the ongoing economic crisis (French GDP growth in 2010 will be 1.4% against a decline of 2.2% in 2009), such a situation for a long period of time could put an end to the promises of the authorities regarding the reduction of unemployment, economic growth, etc. .

Many often accuse the West of cynicism - they don't care who they buy oil from - African dictators or Norwegian companies - they are only interested in stability and cheap supplies. Well, practice shows that this is a completely fair statement.

Conclusions. Thus, the invasion of NATO troops in Libya is caused by the following reasons:

The upcoming election campaign in France and its ambitions as a great power;

The desire to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and further violence;

The desire to ensure the stability of oil supplies and low prices, necessary for the European economies to emerge from the crisis.

The armed forces of the coalition of France, Great Britain and the United States, as well as their allies, are conducting an operation in Libya, trying to stop the military operations of Muammar Gaddafi's troops against the opposition. During March 19-20, 2011 coalition troops launched several air and missile strikes on the territory of Libya.

According to preliminary data, there are dead among the civilian population, buildings and roads are destroyed. In response to the actions of the coalition, M. Gaddafi called on the citizens of his country to take up action against the "new aggression of the crusaders." In turn, the forces of the Western coalition declare that they will cease fire if M. Gaddafi stops hostilities against civilians.

The power of the bluff

The development of events in Libya according to the global military scenario was preceded by an almost reached truce. March 18, 2011 The Libyan Jamahiriya announced that it recognizes UN Security Council resolution N1973 on the situation in Libya, and adopted a declaration on the cessation of all hostilities against the opposition. According to Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Kusa, Tripoli is deeply interested in protecting civilians.

The resolution establishing no-fly zones over Libya gives the right to conduct an international military air operation against this country. Many experts called the message of the Gaddafi government about the adoption of the resolution nothing more than a bluff. The validity of such assessments was already confirmed on the morning of March 19, 2011, when the Al-Jazeera TV channel reported that M. Gaddafi's forces had entered the city of Benghazi, held by the opposition, whose center was being subjected to massive artillery shelling.

In response to the unfolding events in Paris, an emergency summit was convened with the participation of the US Secretary of State, the President of France and the British Prime Minister, as well as the leaders of the Arab League and a number of Arab countries. Following the summit, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the start of a "severe" military operation in Libya. The United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, as well as members of the Arab League, announced their joining the operation. “Today we are launching an operation in Libya within the framework of the UN mandate,” N. Sarkozy said after the summit. At the same time, he noted that M. Gaddafi showed complete disregard for the requirements of the international community. "By breaking the promise to end the violence, the Libyan government has left the world community no choice but to take direct and decisive action," the French leader said.

N. Sarkozy also confirmed unofficial information that French reconnaissance planes entered the airspace of Libya, flew over the places of concentration of M. Gaddafi's troops in the Benghazi region, defended by the rebels. Around the same time, Italian warplanes began reconnaissance flights over Libya, joining French fighters. Air strikes on Libya were to follow later. At the same time, N. Sarkozy said that the military operation against the forces of the Jamahiriya could be stopped at any moment if the Libyan government troops stop the violence. However, the words of the French President could not stop the troops of Colonel M. Gaddafi. During March 19, there were reports from Benghazi and other cities in eastern Libya that his forces were conducting a fierce offensive against the opposition, using artillery and armored vehicles.

The beginning of the military operation

The first air strike on Libyan military equipment was carried out by French aircraft at 19:45 Moscow time on March 19, 2011. Thus, the start of a military operation was given, which was called Odyssey Dawn (“The Beginning of the Odyssey” or “Odyssey. Dawn”). As the official representative of the French Armed Forces said at the time, about 20 aircraft participated in the operation to contain the troops of the leader of the Jamahiriya. Their actions were limited to a 150-kilometer zone around Benghazi, where the opposition is based. It was planned that March 20, 2011. the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle ("Charles de Gaulle") will go to the coast of Libya. Soon the United States joined the hostilities in the Arab country. Washington's readiness to participate in the operation was confirmed by US President Barack Obama. Around 22:00 Moscow time on March 19, the US military fired more than 110 Tomahawk missiles in the direction of Libya. Targets were also fired upon by British submarines. According to representatives of the US military command, since the morning of March 20, 25 coalition warships, including three submarines, have been in the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, there were no US military aircraft over the territory of Libya.

In addition to the United States, France, Great Britain and Canada, which entered the coalition, Qatar, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway expressed their readiness to join the operation to ensure the safety of the civilian population of Libya. Italy proposed the creation of a center for coordinating military operations in Libya at the NATO base in Naples.

The scope of the Odyssey

According to the US military command, Tomahawk missiles hit 20 military targets, such as surface-to-air missile storage facilities. The cities of Tripoli, Zuwara, Misurata, Sirte and Benghazi were shelled. In particular, the Bab al-Aziz air base near Tripoli, which is considered the main headquarters of M. Gaddafi, was fired upon. According to a number of Western media reports, Libyan air defense systems suffered "significant damage."

At the same time, Libyan government media reported that coalition troops fired on a number of civilian targets, in particular a hospital in Tripoli and fuel depots around Tripoli and Misrata. According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the air raids on Libya, strikes were carried out, including on non-military targets in the cities of Tripoli, Tarhuna, Maamura, Zhmeil. As a result, as reported on March 20, 48 civilians were killed and more than 150 were injured. Eyewitnesses, as reported by Western agencies, reported that M. Gaddafi's supporters were transferring the bodies of those killed in clashes between government forces and the opposition to places where coalition forces had carried out bombardments.

Despite reports of civilian deaths, the military operation in Libya continued. On the afternoon of March 20, US strategic bombers launched airstrikes on the main Libyan airfield. Three US Air Force B-2 (Stealth) aircraft dropped 40 bombs on this strategic site. At the same time, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox said he hoped for an early completion of the operation in Libya. In turn, French Foreign Minister Allan Juppe said that strikes on Libya would continue until M. Gaddafi "stops attacking civilians, and his troops leave the territories they invaded."

Retaliation Gaddafi

In response to the actions of the coalition, M. Gaddafi called on the Libyans to nationwide armed resistance to the forces of the Western countries. In a telephone audio message, which was broadcast on the central television of Libya, he asked "to take up arms and give an answer to the aggressors." According to M. Gaddafi, his country is preparing for a long war. He called the attacks of the coalition forces on Libya “terrorism”, as well as “new aggression of the crusaders” and “new Hitlerism”. "The US, Great Britain and France will not get the oil," M. Gaddafi said. He noted that he intends to open access for ordinary citizens to warehouses with all types of weapons so that they can protect themselves. It was decided to distribute weapons to more than 1 million citizens (including women). It was also decided to use all military and civil aircraft to protect the country. The Libyan government demanded an urgent convening of the UN Security Council. In addition, the official Tripoli said that the UN Security Council resolution on Libya is no longer valid.

However, M. Gaddafi's statements failed to influence the alignment of forces in the country. Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCNS), said that Washington and its allies "have in fact established a regime over Libya that does not allow government air flights," which is in line with the UN Security Council resolution. In turn, France reported that its aircraft did not meet with opposition from the Libyan air defense systems (air defense) during sorties on March 20. According to the US military, as a result of strikes on Libyan territory, 20 of the 22 targets were hit. The strike was carried out on the Al Watiyah air base, which is located 170 km southeast of Tripoli. It became known that the air defense system of this facility was damaged. According to new data from the Libyan Ministry of Health, as a result of airstrikes by the Western coalition on the territory of the country, 64 people were killed. By the evening of March 20, it became known that the leadership of the Libyan army had ordered an immediate ceasefire.

Reaction from

The world community ambiguously assessed the actions of the coalition in Libya. In particular, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Lukashevich, said on March 20 that Russia "strongly urges" the states conducting a military operation in Libya to stop the "indiscriminate use of force." The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that they consider the adoption of UN Security Council resolution N1973 a very ambiguous step to achieve goals that clearly go beyond its provisions, which provide for measures only to protect the civilian population. On the eve of the Russian Federation announced that it was evacuating part of the embassy staff from Libya. So far, none of the diplomats has been injured. Also, the Russian Embassy in Libya confirmed the information that the Russian Ambassador to this country, Vladimir Chamov, was removed from his post on March 17, 2011.

A negative attitude towards the actions of the coalition was also expressed by the representative of India. “The measures taken should defuse and not worsen an already difficult situation for the people of Libya,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that China regrets the intervention of the international coalition in the Libyan conflict. It should be noted that China along with Russia, Germany, India and Brazil abstained from voting on UN Security Council Resolution N1973.

Dissatisfaction with the course of the military operation was also expressed by the leadership of the League of Arab States (LAS). “We want to protect the civilian population of this country, not air strikes on even more civilians of the state,” said Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa. Recall that earlier the LAS voted to close the Libyan skies for M. Kadadfi's aviation flights. The military operation of international forces in Libya was also condemned by representatives of the Taliban extremist movement, which are fighting against NATO in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates announced that they would take part in the military operation. Aircraft of the UAE Air Force arrived at a military base on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea. According to unofficial data, the UAE provided 24 military aircraft for the operation in Libya, and Qatar allocated 4-6 more military aircraft.

The son of the leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi Khamis died in the hospital from his injuries. A few days ago, a pilot of the Libyan armed forces deliberately crashed his plane into the fortification, where the son of M. Gaddafi and his family were, German media reported, citing their Arab colleagues.

The fortification was located on the territory of the Bab al-Aziziya military base. It was on this base that the dictator M. Gaddafi himself took refuge after the rebels began to act in mid-February 2011. It is worth noting that the German media do not name the exact date of the death of the colonel's son, as well as other circumstances of the death of H. Gaddafi. The official Libyan media do not confirm such reports.

H. Gaddafi is the sixth son of the Libyan dictator, the commander of the special forces of the 32nd separate reinforced brigade of the Libyan army - the Khamis brigade. It was he who ensured the security of M. Gaddafi at the base of Bab al-Aziziya at the end of February. H. Gaddafi was personally acquainted with many Russian generals: in 2009. he was present as an observer at the Zapad-2009 exercise, which took place in Belarus, where Russian troops were also present. According to some reports, H. Gaddafi received his education in Russia.

As a result of an air strike in Tripoli on military facilities of the troops of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the command center of the forces of the Libyan dictator was destroyed, representatives of the Western coalition report. Their words are reported by the BBC.

Media representatives were shown the destroyed building, but they were not told anything about the existence of victims on the ground. The air strike was carried out as part of Operation Odyssey. Dawn”, which involves the US Air Force, Britain and France.

According to British experts, the real reason why France actually led the international military operation in Libya is the desire of President Nicolas Sarkozy to save his approval rating, which had reached its lowest point shortly before the elections.

"The French really like it when their president behaves like a politician who influences the fate of the world," one of the diplomats, who asked not to be named, told the Guardian in an interview. According to him, N. Sarkozy in his current position really needs a "good crisis."

The militant mood of the French president, according to observers, was strongly influenced by a public opinion poll conducted last week. It turned out that N. Sarkozy in the presidential elections would have lost not only to his opponent from the Socialist Party, but also to the leader of the nationalists, Jean Marie Le Pen.

We have to admit that N. Sarkozy really surprised many experts with his desire to protect the Libyan rebels. If from the beginning of the crisis the position of France could be assessed as rather moderate, then after a conversation with representatives of the interim government, N. Sarkozy became eager to help the opposition. France recognized the leadership in Benghazi as the only legal one in Libya and sent its ambassador to the capital of the rebels. In addition, it was N. Sarkozy who persuaded the European allies to strike at the government troops. It is not surprising that French aircraft in the first hours of Operation Odyssey. Dawn” bombed not airfields or air defense systems, but tanks besieging Benghazi.

Add to this the bad personal relationship between N. Sarkozy and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The latter accused the French president of betrayal, since Tripoli allegedly sponsored the election campaign of N. Sarkozy, who won the election with great difficulty. In Paris, they preferred to refute everything, after which they began to insist with even greater zeal on the start of a military operation.

Georgia welcomes the resolution of the UN Security Council (SC) and the military operation of the coalition forces in Libya. This statement was made today by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Nino Kalandadze at a weekly briefing.

"Georgia welcomes the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council, which formed the basis of the ongoing operation," N. Kalandadze said, adding that "Georgia supports all decisions of the international community, the purpose of which is peace and stabilization of the situation."

“At the same time, one cannot fail to say about our regret about the victims among the civilian population,” the deputy minister noted. She expressed hope that "the situation in Libya will be discharged soon and the international mission will be completed successfully."

The Deputy Minister noted that the Foreign Ministry did not receive any appeals from Libya from Georgian citizens. Presumably, there are currently no Georgian citizens there.

Four New York Times journalists detained in Libya have been released. This is reported by the Associated Press with reference to the Turkish Embassy in the United States.

According to the diplomatic mission, the released Americans were handed over to the Turkish ambassador in Tripoli, after which they were sent to Tunisia.

Four New York Times journalists were detained during an armed clash in western Libya last week. They include reporter Anthony Shadid, photographers Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario, and reporter and videographer Stephen Farrell.

It should be noted that in 2009 S. Farrell was captured by the Taliban radical group in Afghanistan and later released by a British special forces detachment.

Russia and China should, together with the United States, put pressure on countries that seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This was stated in St. Petersburg by the head of the Pentagon, Robert Gates, who arrived on an official visit to Russia, RBC-Petersburg reports.

According to him, in particular, we are talking about Iran, which is not only trying to get nuclear weapons, but also threatening other states. Obviously, in this case R. Gates is referring to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tough statements against Israel.

Among other modern threats, R. Gates named terrorism, since the main threat, according to him, does not come from individual states, but from extremist organizations.

R. Gates' visit was planned even before the start of the military operation in Libya. It is expected that on Tuesday the head of the Pentagon will hold meetings with Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, as well as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. In addition to the situation in North Africa, it is planned to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, as well as issues related to the American missile defense system.

The position of Russia, which refused to veto the UN Security Council resolution and at the same time distanced itself from the "indiscriminate use of force" by NATO troops in Libya, may bring significant dividends to Moscow in the future, the Kommersant newspaper reports.

By not hindering the overthrow of the dictator, Russia has the right to count on gratitude from the government that will come to power in Libya after the likely fall of M. Gaddafi. Moscow does not want to lose the multibillion-dollar contracts that the state companies Rosoboronexport, Gazprom and Russian Railways signed with Tripoli. Moscow may well count on a favorable option, because even in post-war Iraq, Russian companies received several oil fields.

In addition, the Libyan crisis allowed Moscow not only not to spoil, but also to strengthen relations with the West. This means that the operation to overthrow M. Gaddafi will not affect the “reset” of relations with the United States and will not violate the partnership with the European Union and NATO that has begun to improve under President D. Medvedev.

Significant in this regard was the resignation of the Russian Ambassador to Libya, Vladimir Chamov, who, according to the publication, to the last, supported M. Gaddafi. It looks like the ambassador suffered because he forgot about the foreign policy instructions that D. Medvedev gave to Russian diplomats at a meeting with the diplomatic corps in July last year. Explaining the importance of developing democracy in Russia, the President noted that Moscow "should contribute to the humanization of social systems throughout the world, primarily at home." "It is in the interests of Russian democracy that as many states as possible follow democratic standards in their domestic politics," the president said at the time, adding, however, that such standards "cannot be imposed unilaterally." The behavior of Moscow, which on the one hand condemned the Libyan leadership, and on the other, did not support military intervention, fits into this scheme, which is not easy to implement.

There was also information that Dmitry Medvedev himself was inclined to support the resolution of the UN Security Council, while the Foreign Ministry discussed the expediency of using the veto and blocking it. In the end, a compromise was reached and the decision was made to abstain.

State Duma deputies from the Liberal Democratic Party and A Just Russia told RBC about their attitude to the operation of the coalition of Western countries in Libya.

The military intervention of individual Western countries in Libya could turn into a wave of terrorist attacks for them. This opinion was expressed in an interview with the head of the LDPR faction in the State Duma, Igor Lebedev. "Gaddafi's methods of fighting are known to everyone, his most terrible retaliatory strike will be expressed not in combat aircraft and ground operations, but in a wave of terrorist attacks that can sweep through those countries that are now fighting against Libya," the deputy suggested.

I. Lebedev is sure that the coalition's intervention in the internal affairs of another country is taking place under pretexts that have nothing to do with reality. “Under the pretext of protecting the civilian population, they are bombed from the air, and under the pretext of protecting civil society, Western countries are getting close to Libyan oil reserves and trying to establish a regime controlled by the Americans there and ignite the fire of war in the Arab world in order to get as close as possible to their long-standing enemy - Iran," the deputy said.

According to him, "no one says that Gaddafi is right." “But a military invasion from the outside is also not the right solution to the problem,” I. Lebedev concluded.

Do not like the methods of the coalition and deputies from the "Fair Russia". A military invasion of Libya by the forces of the Western coalition risks turning into a protracted conflict in this country, said Gennady Gudkov, State Duma deputy from A Just Russia, commenting on what is happening in Libya.

"Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is a dictator who committed a crime against his own people by starting to bomb the rebels," the parliamentarian said. At the same time, he called the method of solving the Libyan problem by the military forces of the Western coalition, which is acting in pursuance of the UN Security Council resolution on ensuring a safe sky over Libya, erroneous. “No nation will tolerate outside interference in its internal affairs,” G. Gudkov noted. According to him, in this case, the anti-Libyan coalition risks getting the opposite effect, consisting in rallying the population around its leader, despite the dictatorial nature of the regime he established.

At the same time, commenting on the information about the intention of the Libyan authorities to arm a million civilians to protect themselves from Western intervention, G. Gudkov expressed doubts about the plausibility of such reports: “I do not believe in a million militias, I do not exclude that this is just an informational stuffing ".

Russia, China and India should take the initiative to hold an additional meeting of the UN Security Council on the issue of specifying the resolution it had previously adopted on the creation of a no-fly zone in the skies over Libya, suggests Semyon Bagdasarov, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs (Fair Russia).

"These countries should request such a meeting in order to specify the implementation of the resolution in terms of time and clear objectives for conducting a military operation in Libya," the MP said in a commentary. According to him, the current resolution is "vague", which gives a free hand to the forces of the Western coalition, given the incoming information about civilian casualties as a result of the bombing. "Many civilians die, thus, the original goal, which was proclaimed by the supporters of the resolution - to stop the victims among the population - is not achieved," S. Bagdasarov noted. In this regard, he spoke in favor of the immediate suspension of hostilities by the "anti-Libyan coalition."

The deputy believes that Libya was the fourth country after Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan, which became "a victim due to a wrong regime." “And tomorrow, any other country with a ‘not like that’ regime could be such a victim,” he said, adding that the continuation of the attack on Libya would lead to a sharp radicalization of sentiment in the Arab world. “It turns out that they give rise to terrorism,” the deputy concluded.

He also noted that Libya could repeat the fate of Iraq, which, "as it turned out later, did not create any nuclear weapons and became a victim of the US information war." “After all, what are these rebels in Libya? I do not rule out that this is just a rabble, but, judging by some external signs, these are people who fought in the area of ​​the Afghan-Pakistani border,” S. Baghdasarov notes.

Viktor Zavarzin, head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Defense, expressed the opinion that NATO strategists "are trying to solve the most complicated military-political problem in Libya in one fell swoop," which only exacerbates the situation in the region.

According to him, this is reminiscent of NATO's actions against the former Yugoslavia in March 1999. “As then, the coalition forces are trying to implement their notorious concept of “humanitarian intervention” in Libya,” the deputy noted. At the same time, the escalation of military actions only exacerbates the situation in the region.

“I am firmly convinced that no political necessity or military expediency should prevail over international law,” V. Zavarzin emphasized in this regard. He also recalled that Russia opposes military operations in Libya, which “directly harm the civilian population.” “Unfortunately, at the present time we see that as a result of the use of foreign military force, civilians are dying, strikes are being made on civilian objects,” the head of the committee said.

V.Zavarzin noted that "there is no doubt that Muammar Gaddafi's actions are in conflict with international norms of law, and this, of course, must be fought." “But at the same time, the death of the civilian population cannot be allowed,” the parliamentarian is convinced.

Today it also became known that the Secretary General of the League of Arab States (LAS) Amr Musa supported the UN Security Council resolution, which allows military operations against Libya. He made such a statement during a press conference with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

“We are not against the resolution, since it is not about the invasion, but about the protection of citizens from what they were subjected to in Benghazi,” A. Musa said, referring to the repeated airstrikes of the Libyan government Air Force on opposition forces in this city.

“The position of the League of Arab States in relation to Libya is clearly defined. We immediately suspended Libya's membership in our organization and proposed to the UN to introduce a no-fly zone over it," he added. Earlier, A.Musa said that the Arab League does not want any states to "go too far" on this issue.

It should be noted that the bombing of Libya by NATO forces continues at the moment. The coalition that struck the North African state included the United States, France, Great Britain, Canada and Italy.

FOREIGN MILITARY REVIEW No. 4/2011, pp. 102-103

Details

NATO OPERATION JOINT DEFENDER IN LIBYA

On 31 March 2011, the Alliance began a full range of land and sea operations in Libya as part of Operation Joint Protector, which "came fully under NATO command from national commanders on 31 March at 0600 GMT".

The international operation in Libya at the initial stage involved 205 aircraft and 21 ships from 14 states, including the USA, France, Great Britain, Canada, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania. The NATO press service noted that the formation of forces continues and this list will be updated as new countries join the mission.

The planning of military operations is carried out at the headquarters of the NATO combined forces in Europe in Mons (Belgium), tactical command is carried out from the regional headquarters of the alliance in Naples, where Canadian General Charles Bouchard is located. It is designed for a period of up to 90 days, but can be extended.

The purpose of the operation is defined by resolutions 1970 and 1973 of the UN Security Council and is formulated as "protection of the civilian population and territories inhabited by civilians." Within its framework, three main tasks are carried out: ensuring an arms embargo on Libya, establishing a no-fly zone over its territory and protecting the civilian population from strikes by the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. The theater of operations is defined as the entire territory of the Jamahiriya and the waters north of its coast.

General Sh. Busher, who spoke at a briefing at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, said that they “patrol the coast to prevent the supply of weapons to Libya, observe a no-fly zone closed to all military and civilian vehicles, except for aircraft carrying out humanitarian tasks". In addition, the forces of the alliance provide "protection of the civilian population." He stressed that during the operation "a very strict selection of ground targets is carried out in order to prevent civilian casualties." “The rules for opening fire are very strict, but all NATO forces have the right to defend themselves,” he continued. The general acknowledged that the alliance "takes seriously media reports of civilian casualties during air strikes in Libya."

In turn, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, noted that the main task of the Joint Defender operation is "to protect the civilian population and the territory inhabited by civilians." “The aims of the operation are very clear,” he said. "It's about supporting the arms embargo, enforcing the no-fly zone, and protecting civilians."

“Our mandate is to protect the entire population, we will not check their ID cards. However, the reality of today is that the attacks against the civilian population of Libya come only from the forces of Gaddafi,” he said, answering the question of journalists whether the forces of the alliance will protect “the civilian population that supports Gaddafi.” "NATO has no intention of interfering in determining the future of Libya - this is the business of its people," continued Admiral Di Paola.

He avoided answering the question whether the NATO mandate precludes the use of ground forces. "The UN Security Council resolution excludes only the entry of occupying forces (into Libya)," he stressed. Deciphering the term "occupation forces", the admiral explained that these are ground forces that occupy territory and take control of it. “The theater of the NATO operation is the entire territory of Libya, its waters and airspace. It cannot be said that it is held in the east or west of the country,” he stressed.

Below is data from European sources and media about the forces that countries that are part of the coalition or plan to join it sent to this region:

USA - 12 ships and a submarine, including UDC "Kirsadzh", DVKD "Pons", SSGN "Florida", SSN "Newport News", more than 80 combat aircraft, in particular F-15, F-16, A- 10, AV-8B, EA-18G, U-2S, RC-135W, E-ZV, EC-130J, as well as about 20 tanker aircraft.

France - five ships and a submarine, including AVMA "Charles de Gaulle", EM URO "Forbin", PLA "Amethyst", more than 50 combat aircraft, including "Rafale", "Mirage-2000", "Super Etandar" M , E-2C, and seven tanker aircraft.

Great Britain - three ships and a submarine, about 50 combat aircraft, including Tornado, Typhoon, Nimrod, Sentinel, and more than 10 tanker aircraft.

Turkey - five ships and a submarine (the country has completely refused to participate in air operations in Libya, but maintains a naval blockade of the coast).

Italy - 15 ships, including AVL "Giuseppe Garibaldi", EM URO "Andrea Doria" DVKD "San Marco" and "San Giorgio", about 30 combat aircraft, in particular "Typhoon", "Tornado", "Harrier".

Belgium - ship, six F-16 combat aircraft.

Greece - two ships.

Denmark - six F-16 combat aircraft.

Spain - ship and submarine "Tramontana", five F-18 combat aircraft and a tanker aircraft.

Canada - ship and nine combat aircraft, including CF-18, CP-140A.

Norway - six F-16 combat aircraft.

Poland - a ship (ShK "Rear Admiral K. Chernitski").

In addition, the UAE was ready to provide 12 fighters of various types to the alliance grouping for Operation Joint Defender, Qatar - six combat aircraft, Sweden, if the parliament approves the government's decision - eight combat aircraft, a tanker aircraft and a reconnaissance aircraft, and Romania planned to transfer one frigate to the force.

The problems and contradictions of North Africa, the war in Libya, the analysis of the processes taking place in this region are still in the center of attention of the world community. And this is justified, now in this region the course of world politics is largely determined for years to come, which is why the analysis of the processes that accompanied the development of the war in Libya is extremely relevant. Well-known expert Anatoly Tsyganok discusses this on the pages of the Arms of Russia news agency. >

11:44 / 13.01.12

NATO war in Libya: analysis, lessons

The problems and contradictions of North Africa, the war in Libya, the analysis of the processes taking place in this area are still in the center of attention of the world community.

And this is justified, now in this region the course of world politics is largely determined for years to come, which is why the analysis of the processes that accompanied the development of the war in Libya is extremely relevant. Well-known expert Anatoly Tsyganok argues about this on the pages of the Arms of Russia news agency.

The main lesson that the United States taught not only to Libya, but to the whole world - they showed the technology of intervention. First, public opinion is prepared against a certain state by putting it on the list of unreliable ones. Then the procedure of search and punishment for "sins" before the world civilization begins. Further, all sorts of prohibitions, sanctions (embargos) are announced. Then, within a month, there follows a period of "holding" in harsh conditions until the maximum possible weakening. During this period, "reconnaissance in force" is carried out, all possible targets are determined. Possible allies of the future victim are neutralized. And only after that the open preparation and conduct of military aggression begins.

The wars with the confrontation of powers - coalitions, the confrontation of armies are being replaced by a global permanent war, which is being waged continuously in all points of the Earth by all possible means: political, economic, military, technical, informational. These operations violate the norms of international law. The civilian population is used to test the latest technological developments.

Moreover, in the intervention against Libya, the United States, Britain and France, with the support of several other NATO countries, made an attempt to legitimize their aggression with the help of an Arab fig leaf in the form of Qatari aircraft and ground troops. Assessing the groupings created to conduct combat operations against Libya, one can state the absolute technical superiority of the United States in the space grouping, electronic warfare equipment, sea and air-based cruise missiles, and navigation systems at the operational and tactical level.

The US and NATO military operation with the lured National Council against Gaddafi's semi-guerrilla army raises a lot of questions. The Libyan war, which has many differences from past wars waged by the US and NATO, is attracting the attention of specialists. For military specialists, the process of creating air, sea groups and actions of special units of the USA, France, Great Britain, and Italy is of particular interest. Operational camouflage of NATO and Libyan forces, conducting NATO aerospace operations, the strategy and tactics of the US and NATO groups, the tactics of the rebels, Gaddafi's government forces.

The use of new means of destruction in the operation, information and psychological warfare, financial warfare, ecological warfare, combat and material support. Spatial scope of NATO Operation Allied Defender: North America, Canada, most of Europe, Turkish part of Asia. The fighting took place throughout Libya, the control of ships throughout the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea.

If we adhere to the accepted classification of wars and conflicts, the main criterion of which is the number of victims and refugees, then the 9-month-old conflict in 2011 in northern Africa ranked third after Iraq and Afghanistan. The total number of killed and wounded is unknown. As of July, the Libyan Red Cross Society estimated that more than 1,100 civilians had been killed in NATO bombings, including 400 women and children. More than 6,000 Libyan civilians were injured in the bombing, many of them seriously. During the armed conflict, more than 400 thousand refugees were forced to leave Libya. The total loss of refugees is up to 6,000 people.

Prior to the events of February 2011, per capita GDP in Libya, calculated at purchasing power parity, was $ 13,800. This is more than two times more than in Egypt and Algeria, and one and a half times more than in Tunisia. The country has 10 universities and 14 research centers, kindergartens, schools and hospitals that meet world standards. Libya ranked first among African states in terms of human development and life expectancy - 77 years. (For comparison: in Russia, the average life expectancy is a little over 69 years). By the way, Libya got into the Guinness Book of Records as a country in which for the period 2001-2005. had the lowest inflation rate - 3.1%.

The main thing is that human rights, if they are understood as the right to a decent existence, have been implemented in Libya to a much greater extent than in democratic Russia, Ukraine or Kazakhstan. Gaddafi made it clear that he saw the future economic development of Africa in general and Libya in particular more connected to China and Russia than to the West, helps to understand that it was only a matter of time before the CIA put its contingency plan first to overthrow the Libyan government. So not caring about the person made Western democracies take a course to overthrow the existing government in Libya. Unrest in Libya, which escalated into a civil war, began in mid-February. The country was actually divided into the West controlled by Gaddafi and the East, which was held by the armed forces of the rebels.

The death of civilians is the main claim of the international community to the Gaddafi regime. Earlier, rebels fighting against the dictator's troops asked the permanent members of the UN Security Council to impose an air blockade against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. The League of Arab States spoke in favor of a ban on aviation flights and the Gulf Cooperation Council over Libya. NATO and the UN Security Council are discussing military measures against the Libyan authorities, where more than 2,000 people have already become victims of the civil war.

France and Great Britain proposed to the UN Security Council a draft resolution on Libya. The UN Security Council demands an immediate ceasefire and violence against the civilian population in Libya; imposes a ban on all flights over Libya, except for humanitarian flights and the evacuation of foreigners; authorizes any actions to protect civilians and the territories inhabited by them, with the exception of the entry of occupying troops; allows the inspection of those ships and aircraft on which weapons and mercenaries can be delivered to Libya; imposes a ban on all flights to Libya; freezes the assets of the Libyan leadership; expands the list of Libyan officials subject to travel sanctions.

The vote in the UN Security Council on the Anglo-French draft Security Council Resolution No. 1973, which actually opened the way for military intervention, revealed a unique international political situation: the BRIC countries on the issue of Libya demonstrated disagreement with Europe, especially with the United States: Brazil, Russia , India, China (and from European countries Germany) did not support Resolution No. 1973.

The consequences of double standards are obvious: - an external arbiter took sides in the conflict (there were no innocents there) and ceased to be an arbiter; - unilateral support led to the preponderance of the forces of one of the conflicting parties, which only intensified the civil confrontation and claimed even more lives. Confirmation of the "double standard" for "us" and "them" - Bahrain, where dozens of people were killed during similar protests, Western democracies only shook their fingers (placed on the list of human rights violators), because. There is an American naval base there.

If we analyze the wars over the past 20 years, we can see that the decisive factor in them was not only the military defeat of the armed forces of the defending army, but the political isolation of the leaders. So it was on January 17, 1991, when the US launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq; this was the case in August-September 1995, when NATO aircraft carried out the "Moderate Force" air operation against the Bosnian Serbs, which played a role in stopping the Serbian offensive and changing the military situation in favor of the Muslim-Croat forces; this was the case on December 17-20, 1998, when the combined forces of the United States and Great Britain conducted Operation Desert Fox in Iraq; this was the case during the military operation of the NATO bloc "Allied Force" (originally called "Decisive Force") against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the period from March 24 to June 10, 1999; With the same preparation, on October 7, 2001, the United States, at the head of NATO troops, launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Libya and Russia. Tripoli, however, did not forget that Russia, which was considered a friendly state, in 1992 dramatically changed its attitude towards Libya and, in fact, fully supported the introduction of international sanctions against it. A few years later, as is known, the Russian position changed. However, the first, very strong resentment remained, as did distrust of Moscow's policy. It is very difficult to overcome this. Apparently, this is why Tripoli did not fulfill the agreements reached in April 2008 on the purchase of Russian weapons, despite the fact that in return Russia wrote off the Soviet-era debt of Libya in the amount of $4.5 billion.

No progress was made with the implementation of the contract worth $2.3 billion received by the Russian Railways for the construction of the Sirte-Benghazi railway, although it was planned to open the branch in September 2009. The Kremlin's hopes for Libya on the issue of creating a "gas OPEC", in which Russia considered Tripoli as one of its main partners, did not come true. Libya shied away from participating in the organization, thereby jeopardizing the entire project. At the same time, until recently, Libya was ready to host a Russian naval base in the port of Benghazi. On the eve of the events, a detachment of warships of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, led by the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great, visited Libya. In the port of Tripoli, heading to the shores of Somalia, the patrol ship of the Baltic Fleet Neustrashimy also called. As the Libyan leader hoped, the Russian military presence was to become a guarantee of non-attack on Libya by the United States.

Libyan grouping of forces and means. The armed forces of Libya had sufficient potential to counter external aggression. As for air defense, Gaddafi had 4 anti-aircraft missile brigades equipped with S-200VE Vega anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM), 6 S-75M Desna air defense brigades and 3 S-125M Neva-M air defense brigades and "Kvadrat" ("Wasp"), as well as portable SA-7 air defense systems of the old Soviet model. In total, according to experts, at least 216 anti-aircraft missiles.

Libya also had up to 500 mobile-based tactical and operational-tactical missiles. The naval forces of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya included the fleet, naval aviation and coast guards.

The Libyan fleet consisted of eleven warships, including two Project 641 submarines, two Project 1159 frigates, one Project 1234 corvette, one PS-700 landing ship, five Project 266ME minesweepers and fourteen missile boats (six Project 205 and eight type "Combatant-2G"), as well as up to twenty auxiliary vessels and more than fifty high-speed remotely controlled vehicles. Aviation of the Navy consisted of 24 combat-ready helicopters, including 12 anti-submarine and 5 defective ones.

Another 6 faulty machines were formally listed in the Navy. The Libyan Coast Guard in 2008 included up to 70 patrol boats of various displacements. The ships of the Libyan fleet were based in the naval bases of Al-Khurna (headquarters of the Navy), Al-Khum and Tobruk. Bases in Benghazi, Derna, Bordia, Tripoli, Tarabelus, Darua were also used as maneuverable ones. The submarines were based at Ras Hilal, and the naval aviation was based at Al Ghidrabiyala. Mobile batteries of anti-ship missiles SS-C-3 from the coastal defense were placed on vehicle launchers in the areas of Tobruk, Benghazi and Al-Daniya.

Libyan Air Force consisted of 23,000 personnel (including air defense). They had 379 combat aircraft, including 12 bombers (six Tu-22 and Su-24MK each), 151 fighter-bombers (40 MiG-23BN, 30 Mirage 5D / DE, 14 Mirage 5DD, 14 Mirage F- 1 AD, 53 Su-20/22), 205 fighters (45 MiG-21, 75 MiG-23, 70 MiG-25, 15 Mirage F-1 ED), 11 reconnaissance aircraft (4 Mirage 5DR, 7 MiG- 25RB). There were also 145 helicopters: 41 combat (29 Mi-25, 12 Mi-35), 54 multipurpose (4 CH-47, 34 Mi-8/17, 11 SA-316, 5 Agusta-Bell AB-206) and 50 training Mi-2. It must be said that it is a great success for the West in its military operation against Libya that Russia, which joined the anti-Libyan sanctions of the UN Security Council on March 10, did not manage to significantly implement the military contracts concluded with Tripoli in 2008. Military experts note that it would have been much more difficult for the Western coalition if Gaddafi had purchased modern weapons before the start of the war - fortunately, oil revenues made it possible to purchase effective air defense systems and combat aircraft. But the Libyan leader could not choose between Russia and France, and as a result, the ground forces of the Jamahiriya never gained effective protection from air strikes.

It was assumed that Libya, in particular, will acquire 12 Su-35 multi-role fighters, 48 ​​T-90S tanks, a certain number of anti-aircraft missile systems / SAM / S-125 "Pechora", "Tor-M2E" and S-300PMU-2 " Favorite", as well as diesel-electric submarines of project 636 "Kilo". In addition, Russia was going to supply Libya with spare parts and carry out maintenance, repair and modernization of previously purchased military equipment, including the Osa-AKM air defense system and T-72 tanks. It was also about the supply of Russian-made light and small arms, as well as a batch of naval mines worth 500 million dollars. By the time the international embargo was established, Russian gunsmiths had managed to conclude contracts with Tripoli in the amount of about 2 billion dollars. The work was also close to completion to prepare a deal on aircraft and air defense equipment worth about $1.8 billion. All these modern and highly effective weapons did not reach Libya and are unlikely to ever get there.

The decision on the operation of the US and NATO in Libya - "Odyssey Dawn". In fact, the US and NATO conducted four operations in the Mediterranean (UK Ellamy, France Harmattan, Canada Mobile, NATO Allied Defender). In addition to the obvious - the implementation of the UN Security Council Decision, there are hidden goals. The main goal: to solve the problem of North Africa by gaining a foothold in Libya. Geopolitical goal: to expel China from Libya, to prevent the Russian fleet from being based in Libya and Syria. Political: to punish Gaddafi for refusing to join the US Joint Command in Africa, to deprive Europe of control over Libya's oil reserves. Military - to defeat the armed forces of M. Gaddafi, to test in real combat conditions the theoretical provisions of the United States Joint Command of the Armed Forces in the African zone, to test the possibility of a rapid build-up of the NATO grouping and preparation for an operation in desert combat conditions.

Military - technical - to conduct mass tests in real combat conditions of new weapons: the Florida Ohio-class submarine missile carrier, the Tomahawk Block IV (TLAM-E) tactical cruise missile, the US Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, the British Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter, heavily armed ground support aircraft AC-130U, unmanned helicopter MO-8В Fire Scout.

Information - psychological: to test new forms of information and psychological warfare using the American propaganda aircraft Lockheed EC-130E Commando Solo and conducting special propaganda against the troops of M. Gaddafi and the population of Libya. Banking - exclude and prevent Gaddafi from creating a new banking system in Africa, which threatened to leave the IMF, the World Bank and various other Western banking structures out of African affairs. Financial - use financial weapons. Repeat the success of the CIA in Iraq, where four commanders of the army corps were bribed.

By the beginning of the operation, a large grouping of the US Air Force and Navy and NATO was created in relative proximity to the Libyan coast. Twenty-five warships, Western Coalition submarines, including three US Navy ships carrying Tomahawk missiles, and support vessels of the US 2nd and 6th Fleets, including USS Enterprise, amphibious assault ships Kersage and Ponce ", as well as the flagship (headquarters) ship" Mount Whitney ". The deployment of ships of the US 2nd and 6th Fleets in the adjacent Libyan territory made it relatively easy to prohibit surface warships from sailing on the high seas.

A powerful US-NATO aviation group for reconnaissance aviation and electronic warfare was created. In the air operation "Odyssey. Dawn "participated from the USA: fighter-bombers, multifunctional light fighters, carrier-based attack aircraft, strategic bombers, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, ground support aircraft, carrier aircraft of the control and intelligence system, tanker aircraft, helicopters, military transport aircraft, coastal patrol aircraft, military transport aircraft.

US and NATO strategists miscalculated, assuming that the military operation would be completed in a few weeks. Initially, the military operation in Libya was scheduled for a period until June 27. Later, Western countries decided to extend their presence in the skies over the Jamahiriya. NATO and its partners have decided to extend their mission in Libya for another 90 days, until the end of September. At the end of September, the leadership of the North Atlantic bloc extended hostilities until the New Year. During the nine months of the war, the failure of political and military coordination in the NATO bloc was demonstrated. France, which initiated the military operation, could not have done anything with M. Gaddafi without American jammers, tankers, AWACS aircraft and cruise missiles. The British, in order to use a dozen Tornado fighter-bombers for the sake of prestige, had to leave most of their fleet in England without spare parts and stop flying the country's air defense fighters. The operation in Libya is a very limited military conflict. And if the Europeans, already a month or two after it began, are experiencing a shortage of ammunition, then one should ask, what type of war were they generally preparing for? This war once again showed the level of worthlessness (without the US) of the military machine of Europe (NATO) and the level of its degradation.

Key lessons:

First. International law can be violated and turn into a new Law if its "expediency" is approved by the eight leading countries of the world;

Second. The events in the Middle East have shown that the principle of force is becoming the main dominant principle of international law. Therefore, any country should think about its security.

Third. Double standards have become the rule in international politics;

Fourth. The West can no longer rely solely on US leadership. While the United States continues to be in many ways the "indispensable power" it has been for the past 60 years, this is no longer enough to make international initiatives successful.

Fifth. WITH Countries with new economies, primarily the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China), which are expected to be able to throw an economic challenge to the West in this century, do not now demonstrate the ability to political and diplomatic leadership. Thus, out of the five states that abstained during the vote in the UN Security Council on Resolution 1973 regarding Libya, four are leaders in the group of states with a new economy: Brazil, Russia, India, China.

Sixth. The world community has become more sensitive to the problem of the use of military force, whether in Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan or Libya, considering it from the standpoint of adequacy.

Seventh. The war in Libya once again showed that the absolutization of military force does not eliminate political problems, but, on the contrary, postpones their solution in time. Almost everywhere where the US and NATO use military force, the problems are not solved, but exacerbated. Restoring them, according to the US and NATO, should be done by others.

Eighth. France returned to the NATO military organization, once again creating a system of Franco-British privileged partnership, and Germany placed itself outside the Atlantic context.

Ninth. Military operations have shown that the Libyan army of M. Gaddafi is able to fight against the United States and NATO, rebels and armed groups of Al-Qaeda for nine months.

Conclusions:

1. The speed of development of an unfavorable military-political situation can significantly outpace the speed of creating a new Russian army with perfect means of conducting armed struggle.

2. Military aggression against Russia is possible in the event of a maximum weakening of the economic, military and moral potential, the lack of readiness of citizens to defend their homeland.