Global Public Policy Institute
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01 April 2011
GPPi publishes op-ed on German abstention in Security Council decision on Libya
GPPi Associate Director Thorsten Benner has published an op-ed on the decision of the German government to abstain from voting on the Security Council resolution authorizing a no-fly zone and measures to protect civilians in Libya. In his article for Deutsche Welle, the German equivalent to UK’s BBC World Service, Benner argues that by insisting on diplomacy and sanctions only to put pressure on Gaddafi, Foreign Minister Westerwelle and Chancellor Merkel endangered the lives of civilians and exposed a lack of coherent policy and political courage. Invoking prudence and pointing out the downsides of military intervention, the German government has turned a blind eye to the international community’s responsibility to protect. This, Benner argues, lays bare Germany’s failure to have a thorough debate on the institutional and political preparedness, its commitment to protect civilians from massive human rights violations entails.
For further information please contact Thorsten Benner.