Arab Spring
International reactions
The main initiative behind the military intervention in Libya came from the governments of the United States, France and Britain. A crucial factor, however, was an Arab League recommendation to the United Nations for a no-fly zone. The resolutions subsequently passed by the Security Council have been described as "the most wide-ranging that it had passed for more than 20 years [1]. The European Council later declared its commitment to "the full implementation" of Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973[2], but there was also opposition to military intervention, even from within the European Union. There was opposition by Germany [3] and reluctant participation by Italy. Among other reactions was the condemnation of the UN resolution on Libya as comparable to "medieval calls for crusades" Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (repudiated, however, by President Dmitry Medvedev[4]
While there is no evidence of non-Arab influences upon the Arab Spring uprisings, and every indication that they came as a sudden surprise to all who were not directly involved, some human rights workers have suggested that the leaks of candid diplomatic cables by the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks served as a trigger for the uprising.[5][6][7]
- ↑ Mark Lyall-Grant: Is there an Arab Summer? The UN’s Response to the Arab Spring, Chatam House, 27 June 2011]
- ↑ EU Council conclusions on Libya, Europa, 20 June 2011
- ↑ Military no cure for Libya crisis: German foreign minister, Reuters, Apr 1, 2011
- ↑ Russia's Vladimir Putin denies Libya rift with Medvedev, BBC News, 22 March 2011
- ↑ Peter Walker. Amnesty International hails WikiLeaks and Guardian as Arab spring 'catalysts', The Guardian, 2011-05-13. Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
- ↑ Tony Benn. The flowers of the Arab spring grow from buds of free information, The New Statesman, 2011-04-14. Retrieved on 2011-08-20.
- ↑ WikiLeaks hailed as catalyst in Arab Spring, Politico, 2011-05-13. Retrieved on 2011-08-20.