Instead Of Running To The UN To Condemn Libya, Obama Would Be Better Off Copying China

Jennifer Rubin writes that on Thursday she asked State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley what the US was going to do about the protesters being killed in Libya--beyond going to the UN Human Rights Council. She got an answer:

He responded by e-mail, "It is not all we are doing. It happens to be first. More will emerge." When I asked when those other steps might "emerge," he answered at 7:24 p.m. "within 24 hours."

So, what can we expect Obama to announce by 7:30pm this evening? One option that has been suggested it creating a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent Libyan planes under Kaddafi's control from firing upon unarmed civilians.

But Rubin quotes from Elliot Abrams blog, where he describes how China is making it clear to Kaddafi that they expect him to keep Chinese citizens there safe:

China is sending a warship, among other planes and ships, to evacuate its citizens from Libya. According to the report, “The PLA Navy has just dispatched Xuzhou, a Type 054 Jiangkai-II class missile frigate, from the ongoing seventh PLAN anti-piracy task force deployment off Somalia to steam to Libyan coast to provide support and protection for the ongoing evacuation mission there.”

In recent days, the White House has been saying that the United States had to watch its words and actions because American citizens were at risk in Libya. So instead of acting, we are building a diplomatic coalition. China has taken a different tack: to use power. Instead of biting their tongue, the Chinese appear to be making it clear to the Qadhafi regime that no danger to Chinese workers will be tolerated.

According to Abrams, by copying China, the US would not only protect Americans in Libya--it would also convince Libyan officials who have not yet taken sides to join the revolt against Kaddafi, instead of fearing his wrath should the revolution fail

One of the benefits of taking strong and decisive action is that it inspires confidence--which kind of explains why the US is losing the respect of its friends and the fear of its enemies.

Oh, and there is another benefit of taking China's approach instead of going through the UN Human Rights Council--there is a good chance that the UN Human Rights Council will fail to even condemn Libya:

The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold an urgent session on Libya this Friday at the request of Western and Latin American nations, who are pushing for an international investigation into the killings of protesters.

But with a majority of Asian and African nations -- backed by Russia, China and Cuba -- declining to support a draft resolution, diplomats said it was likely to be heavily watered down and perhaps not passed at all at the emergency meeting.

One draft of the statement to be made by that group is particularly pathetic:

It nowhere named Gaddafi, who in a televised speech on Tuesday vowed he would stay put, root out the "rats" as he dubbed protesters and have them executed, nor directly implicated his security forces in the violence.

Diplomats said the text was the result of a compromise aimed at winning over some bloc members alarmed at Gaddafi's behaviour and perhaps getting it through the Council.

A similar effort by Western countries in the U.N. Security Council in New York on Tuesday ran up against Russian and Chinese reluctance to condemn the Libyan leader outright and simply called for an end to violence.

Obama better get those ships ready.

Hat tip: Hot Air

Technorati Tag: UN Human Rights Council and Libya and Obama.