2011 intervention in Libya as the biggest mistake

In a 2016 interview with Fox News, Obama said the decision to intervene was justified at the time, but acknowledged that his administration failed to adequately plan for what would happen after Muammar Gaddafi was removed from power.

The intervention helped bring an end to Gaddafi’s four-decade rule, but Libya subsequently faced prolonged political instability, militia violence and institutional breakdown.

Obama later acknowledged that the United States and its coalition partners bore responsibility for failing to plan effectively for the post-Gaddafi period. More than a decade later, Libya remains one of Africa’s most prominent examples of the long-term consequences of foreign military intervention and the challenges of rebuilding state institutions after regime change.