2011 - The intervention in Libya against Gaddafi

In the spring of 2011, Sarkozy's France took a leading role in the Libyan crisis. While the 40-year old regime of Muammar Gaddafi bloodily suppressed the popular uprising, Sarkozy was among the first to recognise the rebels as legitimate interlocutors. The French president advocated an international military intervention and obtained the UN Security Council's authorisation to use force. On 19 March 2011, French fighter planes took off to strike Gaddafi's troops threatening the insurgent city of Benghazi. The regime was overthrown and the rais was killed in October 2011. Sarkozy proudly claimed the success of the intervention, presenting it as proof of France's newfound weight on the world stage.