Well, the UN is officially concerned. Expressions of concern won’t levitate a “liberated” MANPAD from the shoulder of an al-Qaeda foot soldier but this is part of the process. Unfortunately, actors on the ground, whether driven by ideology or greed, aren’t saddled with such bureaucracy. We’re playing catch up and in this case that is an impossible game to win.
Diana Wueger, posting at the UN Dispatch blog, looks at possible recovery options:
“Given a poor population in a state with porous borders and established black market arms networks familiar with the region, a buyback program may be the quickest and most efficient method of drawing loose arms out of Libya. Such a program would provide a source of cash for those in possession of these weapons without the hassle of finding a buyer, but it would be expensive and could prove hard to manage on a national scale. And depending on who has the weapons now, it could also be politically untenable to provide cash to insurgent or terrorist groups.”
A buyback program’s effectiveness would be limited. It certainly wouldn’t encourage radicals to part with one or more MANPADS. So, terrorist groups are not the intended target of a buyback program. Buyback programs are best at drawing in those who are looking to make a fast buck and who might otherwise sell their weapons to someone with bad intentions. In the end, this would still be a difficult program to fund and administer. Our best bet, in the near term, is continued cooperation with the NTC to physically secure or destroy weapon caches as soon as they are identified.
Recommended on Twitter: @dianawueger. Diana Wueger writes about & analyzing small arms, foreign affairs, natsec.
“New Libyan Army” Seizes Base at Center of Militia Feud
Recent comments attributed to NTC official Abdel Hafiz Ghoga in a new Tripoli Post report are somewhat encouraging. Apparently, the NTC was able to end a large clash between militias...
NTC Confirms Chemical Weapons Sites in Libya
No details on exactly what was found or where but that’s just fine. Those details really don’t need to be circulating in the media anyway. The news is somewhat encouraging...
Unsecured Weapons Abound in Libya
The widespread availability of unsecured MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) coupled with an abundance of radical elements has everyone concerned. Of course there’s the threat that these weapons could...
Libyan Liberation Speech Concerns
Mustafa Abdel Jalil’s liberation speech triggered spasms of self-doubt and “I told you sos” across the West. In short, Libya will be an Islamic state and sharia law will provide...
Barack Obama Pulls Nuclear Weapons Off the Table
Obama is a nice guy. He’s just left of Ted Kennedy and Chairman Mao but you could probably drink a beer with him – just beer though. The problem, outside...
