Quadriga

There is no end in sight to the battles between troops loyal to President Muammar Gaddafi and rebels in Libya. The country is divided between east and west. A long-term civil war is now a real possibility. NATO is continuing air raids against Gaddafi's troops but rebels are losing ground. So what is the next course of action?

A recent African Union peace plan was rejected by rebels. They say they won't sign any deal unless Gaddafi steps down and leaves the country. The United States also says peace cannot work with Gaddafi still in power. But Gaddafi insists he's going nowhere.

NATO has now taken command of the military operation in the skies over Libya. But even NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says there can be no military solution to the conflict. The alliance's mandate is to protect civilians not to oust Gaddafi. France has criticized NATO members for not doing enough. The UN mandate on Libya rules out ground troops. But now many countries are in favor of a humanitarian aid effort backed up by troops on the ground. Germany supports these proposals but has categorically ruled out taking part in any attacks on Libya. Increasing sanctions on Libya is another option. Italy wants to go a step further and arm the rebels in the battle against Gaddafi.

What do you think? Libya - The West in Disarray

Write to us at Quadriga@dw-world.de

Our guests:

Ralph Ghadban – the German Islamic scholar and author was born in Lebanon. In 1972, after completing his studies in philosophy he moved to Berlin, where he then read Islamic studies and political science. He is presently working as an assistant professor at Berlin’s Protestant Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences). He has published various articles on the subject of Islam and the Islamization of Europe.

Constanze Stelzenmüller - After completing her studies in Geneva and at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard, Constanze Stelzenmüller gained a doctorate in law from the University of Bonn. She later worked as an editor for the German weekly Die Zeit, where she developed a name for herself as an expert on defense and security issues. She also worked as guest lecturer at a number of American universities. Since 2005 she has run the Berlin office of The German Marshall Fund of the United States. In 2007 she was invited to join the advisory board of the German Foundation for Peace Research.

Michael Stürmer – has been the senior correspondent at the German daily "Die Welt" since 1989. Born in Kassel in 1938, Stürmer studied History, Philosophy and Languages in London, Berlin and Marburg. He is also Professor of Modern History at the University of Erlangen.