White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Wednesday that the Obama administration is “actively considering” imposing a no-fly zone over Libya in response to the ongoing regime-backed attacks on the population there. Although the White House has consistently said that all options are on the table, including military contingencies, senior administration officials over the past week have expressed strong public skepticism about the efficacy and wisdom of a no-fly zone.
Defense secretary Robert Gates last week told Congress that a no-fly zone would require “an attack on Libya,” and urged restraint. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asked twice whether she supports a no-fly zone, declined to answer directly. “I think it’s very important that this not be a US-led effort,” she said. NATO ambassador Ivo Daalder, in remarks that the White House directed reporters to for an understanding of administration thinking, said flatly that a no-fly zone would not work. “[I]t’s important to understand that no-fly zones…really have a limited effect against the helicopters or the kind of ground operations that we’ve seen, which is why a no-fly zone, even if it were to be established, isn’t really going to impact what is happening there today,” Daalder said. “And the kinds of capabilities that are being used to attack the rebel forces and, indeed, the population will be largely unaffected by a no-fly zone.”
