NEW YORK TIMES: … Equally important in shaping Obama’s approach to Libya was Iraq. An early opponent of George W. Bush’s war there, Obama was determined to avoid another Middle Eastern quagmire. Unlike in Iraq, where American taxpayers spent more than $20 billion rebuilding Iraqi forces, the Obama administration would provide limited support to Libya but let neighbors such as Algeria and Egypt and European countries with historic links take the lead in safeguarding stability…
As the country became increasingly consumed by violence — driven by militias and the rise of Islamist groups — the Obama administration quietly abandoned its plan and with it any hope that it could keep a functioning Libyan government intact.
The Benghazi attacks, and the images of [Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens] limp body being carried out of a burned U.S. safe room, were a turning point. When the American compound was overrun, it at once illustrated the dangers of Libya’s post-revolution course and made it more difficult for a risk-averse White House to correct it… (more)
