Leading from Behind is Still Leading: Canada and the International Intervention in Libya

For Canadian policymakers, Libya presented four key issues: i) the evacuation of Canadians; ii) determining the nature of Canada’s support for the UNSC resolutions and NATO missions; iii) the consequences of Libyan involvement for future humanitarian interventions; and iv) the implications of Libya for NATO and future NATO operations. [...] In June the French government admitted that NTC it was supplying opposition forces with small arms and were aided in this endeavour by both Qatar and the UAE.22 While some accounts of the Libyan mission argue that it demonstrated the virtues of NATO airpower, the critical role played by SOF demonstrates that this appreciation of the mission is incomplete.23 Although NATO air operations were certai. [...] On the whole, the lack of public discussion of the Libyan operation was likely attributable to the limited media attention devoted to foreign affairs once the election writ was dropped 26 March for the May 2011 federal election. [...] Furthermore, the significant role new partners like Qatar and the UAE played in Libya and the still fluid strategic environment in the Middle East and North Africa warrant a greater degree of Canadian engagement in the region. [...] The dispatch of HMCS Charlottetown to the Mediterranean under Operation Metric with the goal of maintaining a forward deployed regional presence was a positive step in this direction, as was an increase in Canadian regional engagement and intelligence activities.58 R2P A third set of lessons concerns the nature of humanitarian interventions and Libya’s relationship to the Responsibility to Protect.