Inside The Room - The Libya Conflict: The Build Up (Part One)

About this episode

The episode discusses the UK's response to the Libya conflict and the decisions made during the NATO intervention.

As renewed violence erupts across the Middle East, governments have been forced into crisis mode... but when is the right time to intervene, how involved should you get and when, if ever, is it time for 'boots on the ground'? It's these dilemmas and more that are currently facing Keir Starmer and other world leaders, but it's not the first time a UK government has had to find answers for such big questions about international intervention.  Fifteen years ago the civil unrest of the Arab Spring spread to Libya. The violent crackdowns against anti-government protestors that followed sparked seven months of NATO military intervention and led to the killing of Muammar Gaddafi, putting an end to his 42-year dictatorship. In this special mini series, Ed Balls and George Osborne are joined by former MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers to discuss the key decisions, missteps, and aftermath of the Libya crisis. We take you inside the war rooms and hear unique insights from John, George and two other officials who saw key decisions being made first-hand: former EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Cathy Ashton, and deputy national security adviser to the coalition government…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ed Balls, George Osborne

Guest: Sir John Sawers

Topics covered

• Libya conflict
• international intervention
• military action
• NATO intervention
• political decision-making
• historical analysis

Keywords

• Libya
• NATO
• intervention
• Arab Spring
• military action
• politics
• Ed Balls
• George Osborne
• Sir John Sawers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MI6, NATO

Places: Libya

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