India's Response to the Libyan Crisis

April 13, 2011

Since there was no clarity about the end goals of this operation, it would have been difficult for the Indian government to communicate and justify its support for this resolution to its domestic constituency. Nevertheless, India's abstention cannot be viewed as opposition to the resolution. In practical terms, by abstaining, India did not pose an obstacle but rather cleared the way for the UNSC to take action against Gaddafi's regime. It may be recalled here that India had voted in favour of the earlier UNSC resolution 1970, which was about taking tough measures against the Gaddafi regime as well as referring the matter to the International Criminal Court. Therefore, India's concerns about and opposition to the threat posed by the brutal Gaddafi regime to common civilians in Libya cannot be questioned.