President Obama is under intense pressure from Republicans and fellow Democrats to wage war against Libya. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made it clear that the enforcing a no fly zone in Libya will be an obvious act of war. As reported in The Hill,
"Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday said the U.S. military could establish a no-fly zone over Libya, but he cautioned that doing so would first require widespread air strikes across that nation.
“If it’s ordered, we can do it,” Gates told the House Appropriations's Defense subcommittee.
But establishing control of Libyan air space would “start with attacks to destroy” Libyan air defense systems. That kind of assault would require more U.S. military aircraft than “you would find on a single aircraft carrier.”
Listen to former President Bill Clinton, Senator John Kerry and Senator John McCain beat the drums of war.
I urge President Obama to ignore this call for war. First of all, U.S. national security is not jeopardized by the civil war in Libya. In fact, U.S. military intervention will pose a threat to our national security. It will help promote the false narrative that America is at war with Islam. Remember the establishment of a no fly zone in Iraq paved the way for the 911 terror attacks. To maintain the no fly zone, the U.S. had to keep troops in Saudi Arabia. Al Qaeda's primary grievance against the U.S. was the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, this proposed war is not about human rights or preserving human life. There are numerous armed conflicts around the world. I don't see the U.S. resorting to military intervention in those countries. In fact, when Clinton was in office, he did absolutely nothing to prevent to the genocide in Rwanda. Now, he has the audacity to call for U.S. military intervention in Libya.
Human rights are being violated in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. For example, as reported in the Washington Post,
"Witnesses in Bahrain said that more than 100 people were injured after police fired tear gas at protesters and attacked them with batons...
In Yemen, police on rooftops fired live bullets and tear gas at protesters, also injuring more than 100 people, a day after security forces killed seven demonstrators in protests around the country."
Since Yemen and Bahrain are U.S. allies, no one is talking about imposing no fly zones in those other countries.
Oil is the real reason why the U.S. is considering waging war in Libya. Corporate interests are probably driving this rush to war. Currently, Libya's oil industry is nationalized. Apparently, U.S. and other Western countries want to seize Libya's oil. No Arab League resolution will change that fact.
How any of our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters must be sacrificed to satisfy the insatiable greed of the oil industry?
America is already squandering tremendous financial and human resources in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, politicians are urging the President to waste more lives and money in Libya. Frankly, it is fascinating how those deficit hawks have no problem slashing valuable social programs. Yet, they always find enough money to wage war.
Moreover, the U.S. government probably knows virtually nothing about those Libyan insurgents. In addition to imposing no fly zones, some prominent politicians and pundits assert that the U.S. should provide military assistance to Gaddafi's opposition. For all we know, such actions may aid the Libyan version of the Taliban. In 1980s, the U.S. supported the Afghan groups opposing the Soviets. Some of those groups included the Taliban and Al Qaeda. We do not need to repeat that colossal mistake.
Many of us voted for Obama because of his opposition to the Iraq war. We viewed Obama as the candidate of peace, hope and change. We did not vote for war and political calculation. I urge the President to put the interests of the American people over the interests of the oil companies. During his inauguration and Cairo speeches, Obama discussed extending a hand to the Arab world. Bombing Libya will undermine that hopeful message. Mr. President, please don't listen to the war mongers.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=23767
ReplyDelete“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - for ever.” - George Orwell.
The bombing of Libya will begin on or nearly to the day, of the eighth anniversary of the beginning of the destruction of Iraq, 19th March, in Europe. Libya too will be destroyed - its schools, education system, water, infrastructure, hospitals, municipal buildings. There will be numerous "tragic mistakes", "collateral damage", mothers, fathers, children, babies, grandparents, blind and deaf schools and on and on. And the wonders of the Roman remains and earlier, largely enduring and revered in all history's turmoils as Iraq, the nation's history - and humanity's, again as Iraq and Afghanistan, will be gone, for ever.
The infrastructure will be destroyed. The embargo will remain in place, thus rebuilding will be impossible. Britain, France and the US., will decide the country needs "stabilizing", "help with reconstruction." They will move in, secure the oil installations and oil fields, the Libyan people will be an incidental inconvenience and quickly become "the enemy", "insurgents", be shot, imprisoned, tortured, abused - and a US friendly puppet "government" will be installed.
The invaders will award their companies rebuilding contracts, the money - likely taken from Libya's frozen assets without accounting - will vanish and the country will remain largely in ruins.
And the loudest cheerleaders for this, as Iraq, will be running round tv and radio stations in London, Europe and the US, then returning to their safe apartments and their UK/US/Europe paid tenures, in the knowledge that no bombs will be dropping on them. Their children will not be shaking uncontrollably and soiling themselves with terror at the sound of approaching planes.
And this Libyan "Shock and Awe"? Shame on France, shame on Britain and the US and a UN avowed: "... to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." Every shattered body, every child maimed or blown to bits, every widow, widower, orphan, will have their name of those countries, and the UN., written in their blood in their place of death.
And the public of these murderous, marauding Western ram raiders, will be told that we were bringing democracy, liberating Libya from a tyrant, from the "new Hitler", the "Butcher of Bengazi."
The countries who have ganged together these last days to overthrow a sovereign government have, again, arguably, conspired in Nuremberg's: " ... supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole", and yet again, plotted to overthrow a sovereign government, with a fig leaf of "legality" from an arm twisted UN. We have seen it all before.
In time, it will emerge, who was stirring, bribing, de-stabilizing - and likely few will be surprised at the findings. But by then, Libya will be long broken and its people, fleeing, displaced, distraught.
When it comes to dealing with the usual "liberators", be careful what you wish for. In six months or so, most Libyans, whatever the failings of the last forty years rule, will be ruing the day.
Felicity Arbuthnot is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Felicity Arbuthnot
It's the white man .. NOT the slave industry .. or OIL industry .. The Whites wanted war -- Just look at your clips -- How is it that a small group of armed men are running the hospitals, social services and aid to children. There are people who are sick, hurt and dying... How are these armed killers looking after them ... Oh and genocide in Rwanda was about coffee. People had land rights. But (1) using the free radios that played music. (2) was turned into a (WAR of the Worlds) broadcast tell people the tutis are kill and comming. (3) setting the people to flee and run off their land (4) kill all those who did not. "Hotel Rwanda" .. THIS IS A BLACK ISSUE ...
ReplyDeleteObama is told the same message -- people break into a police statation and kill the police -- just doing their jobs. -- Obama is told these people are just protesteers.
He makes a statement. About killing but not one word about the poor police man just doing his job. You see -- Obama is use by the whites to say hey -- This is not a Black Issue -- Oh but it is ... and THIS IS AFRICA --
So what will the whiteman think when BLACK PEOPLE counter attack ... We do know who NKurmah is ...
@Anonymous 8:16 AM...Great points.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 8:27 AM...If war with Libya did not benefit the West's economic interests (i.e. control of oil), I doubt that there would be talk of military intervention.