Flashback: Behind Sarkozy's Libya Coup - TIME

Behind Sarkozy's Libya Coup - TIME
Since taking office in mid-May, President Nicolas Sarkozy has been busy on the international stage. First, the French President gave an impressive performance during his first G8 summit; then he played a central role breaking the deadlock over how to structure the European Union. Since then, he has opened an ambitious new chapter in Franco-British cooperation alongside new Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and has announced a radical revamping of the executive structure at Airbus. He's also managed to roll out a fistful of important domestic social and economic reforms.

Libya, the West and the Narrative of Democracy Read more: Libya, the West and the Narrative of Democracy | STRATFOR

Nevertheless, a narrative on what has happened in the Arab world has emerged and has become the framework for thinking about the region. The narrative says that the region is being swept by democratic revolutions (in the Western sense) rising up against oppressive regimes. The West must support these uprisings gently. That means that they must not sponsor them but at the same time act to prevent the repressive regimes from crushing them.

This is a complex maneuver. The West supporting the rebels will turn it into another phase of Western imperialism, under this theory. But the failure to support the rising will be a betrayal of fundamental moral principles. Leaving aside whether the narrative is accurate, reconciling these two principles is not easy — but it particularly appeals to Europeans with their ideological preference for “soft power.”

Read more: Libya, the West and the Narrative of Democracy | STRATFOR
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