The backstory: When West 'tricked' Russia to overthrow Gaddafi's regime in Libya
This article examines the historical context of the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, arguing that Russia felt deceived by the UN resolution that led to Muammar Gaddafi's downfall. It highlights how this event continues to influence Russia's current diplomatic stance toward Western military actions.
Why it matters
Understanding this historical grievance is essential for interpreting current Russian foreign policy and its skepticism toward Western-led international interventions.
Fifteen years ago, Muammar Gaddafi’s over four-decade-long dictatorial rule in Libya ended in a drainage pipe. A Nato raid had struck his convoy, and insurgents executed him while Western capitals cheered."We came, we saw, he died," Hillary Clinton, then US secretary of state, famously quipped. Moscow watched with a very different feeling. Many Russians, primarily Vladimir Putin, were convinced they had been played.Gaddafi's regime fell during the Arab Spring, the wave of uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa that year, and his end marked the success of a Western-led military campaign.For Russia, however, it marked something else.
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