Colonel Gaddafi's forces appear to be gaining momentum against the rebellion in Libya prompting calls for military intervention in Europe and the United States.
With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan still unresolved, the calls for further use of force in the Middle East is hugely controversial.
So is the best policy simply to let events run their course? Or can the doctrine of humanitarian intervention be revived?
And, as western governments re-examine their policies and connections to regimes in the Middle East, there has been plenty of criticism for British foreign secretary William Hague.
In the studio to discuss all of this we have columnist Simon Jenkins, Middle East editor Ian Black and former Foreign Office minister Mark Malloch-Brown.
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