"Russia, China and India abdicated their responsibility in the Security Council by giving Susan Rice [US ambassador to UN] the leeway to use loose language to get into Libya. We need to say very clearly that the US, Britain and France must desist from any further military involvement in Libya and that it is not their role to carry out the regime change [in Libya]," says a leading US-based academic.
Speaking at RT's Crosstalk, Horace Campbell, a professor of African-American history and political science at Syracuse University, explains how the UN Resolution 1973 has become an open-ended document. According to him, the military campaign by US and its allies will, in fact, provide Qadhafi with an opportunity to present himself as an anti-imperialist. He calls upon the transitional national government of Libyan people that it must mobilise the Libyans to remove Qadhafi. "It is the role of Libyans and Africans to remove Qadhafi, not the role of Western powers... ."
The same professor has also posted on his website an article titled "Opposing Gaddafi's Massacre and Foreign Intervention in Libya" in which he warns that unless Libyans themselves own the struggle against Gaddafi, opponents to his regime may find that even if he has been removed from power, 'Gaddafism' will continue - but this time propped up by the West".
Although the programme mainly addresses questions such as whether the no-fly zone now has acquired a new definition that implies much more than air strikes and whether the expansion of this war to topple Gaddafi's regime will include seeing American and Nato boots on the ground, the role of Russia, one of the permanent members of the Security Council, in the Libyan conflict also comes under sharp focus not only on this Moscow-based TV, but also on some other global TV networks.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's remarks that the UNSC resolution supporting the international use of force in Libya reminded him of the Crusades has caused a considerable controversy. Although, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev described as "unacceptable" Putin use of the word "crusades", the prime minister of Russia is widely seen as country's key decision-maker and therefore his statement is considered by many a reflection of Russia's approach to the Libyan conflict.
Russia's Special Envoy to Africa Mikhail Margelov makes attempts, however feeble, to clarify his country's position by terming Putin's remarks as prime minister's "personal." statement, although Zeinab Badawi, the host of BBC's HARDtalk reminds him that Putin is no ordinary soul in Russia as he had been the President twice and might seek Presidency next year.
In this respect, Mergelov also makes a reference to the Article 86 of the Russian constitution which states that President of the Russian Federation shall: a) supervise the conduct of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation; b) conduct negotiations and sign international treaties of the Russian Federation; c) sign instruments of ratification; d) accept credentials and instruments of recall of diplomatic representatives accredited with him.
While explaining his country's position in answer to a question how Russia can get a mediator's role after it has decided to abstain from a UNSC vote on Libya, he says Russia was promoting its own draft which it considered was the best. However, "Russia did not torpedo the resolution".
But the host of Crosstalk, Peter Levelle, has been quite emphatic and convincing in the defence of Putin. While he interrupts another guest on the show, Abe Greenwald, associate editor of Commentary, for the latter's criticism on Putin with remarks that "Putin should be ashamed of... ", Levelle claims that the Russian prime minister has in fact echoed the sentiments of a very large number of people and that "he's has been applauded by millions".
There can be many reasons behind Putin's angst that he expressed on the air strikes by Western allies on Tripoli. But one may be attributed to his deep personal relationship with Qadhafi that he built up since his victory in 2000 presidential elections. During his first term in Presidency as successor to Boris Yeltsin, Russia under his leadership was seen pursuing foreign policies in order to increase Russia's assertiveness in international relations.
Writing in Russia: Experiment With A People, Robert Service argues that such a strategy was quite helpful to Putin, whose awareness of Russia's current economic plight was accompanied by a determination to raise his country's prestige. "So too was the readiness to search out friends among those who had been allies in the Soviet period. Ignoring American hostility, his government made friendly overtures to Iraq, North Korea and Libya to gain greater latitude for Russian diplomacy," according to Service.