Round Up the Usual Suspects...CASABLANCA
So we thought we had the go-ahead from the Arab League. We had support from the UN and our allies. So we rounded up the Arabs usual imperialist suspects for an “intervention” (not a conflict) in Libya. Problem: all of those night fired Tomahawk missiles reminded too many Arabs of the Iraq war and survey of damage by daylight suggested to them civilians must have died in the massive attack:
“What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians.”
–AMR MOUSSA, head of the Arab League, doubling back on the group’s original support for the no-fly zone in Libya. Moussa says the current military action has gone beyond the wishes of the League. (via Jerusalem Post)
The historical record clearly establishes that an external regime change intervention based on mixed motives – even when accompanied with claims of humanitarianism – usually privileges the strategic and economic interests of interveners and results in disastrous consequences for the people on the ground. Indeed, the discord currently evidenced among Western powers concerning intervention in Libya is precisely based in their doubts as to whether their strategic interests are adequately served by such a course.
The incongruence between the interests of external interveners and those on the ground in Libya is already apparent. Beyond their eleventh hour timing, serious mobilisations for intervention on the part of Western powers were issued only after most Western nationals had been safely evacuated from Libya.
The fact that outside powers were unwilling to act while their nationals were on Libyan soil demonstrates their understanding that treating the regime with coercion may lead to civilian deaths either directly as a result of an intervention or indirectly through reprisals against civilians identified as opponents.
Furthermore, the evacuation channels made available to Western nationals – airlifts across the Mediterranean – were not and are not being offered to Libyan civilians nor African migrant workers trapped in Libya. If the humanitarian welfare of civilians in Libya were paramount, they, too, would have been offered this secure escape route. Instead, once Western nationals were safely out of harm’s way, coercive measures were adopted without any effort to protect or evacuate the civilians that were left behind in Tripoli and beyond. [aljazeera]
In the end Colonel Gadaffi issued a fierce rejection of the allied intervention. He railed that he will keep them bogged down fighting in his country. The fear of the West may have been realized. An intervention that has backfired. Another area of the world from which it will not be easy to extricate ourselves. Did we think it could be otherwise? Is history not a good teacher?
Sarah Palin, from my front porch I have visions of the end of the power of the West. Looks like we just can’t please any of the people anywhere any of the time. No longer can we round up the usual posse of suspects. We are supporting the old order. The situation on the ground is shifting and we have not fully adapted. And in the end, we have put our civilian populations at risk for more terror attacks as Gadaffi has promised.
samiam60
March 20, 2011
We are sure on the same page today SH. Yes we are!
samhenry
March 20, 2011
Thank you for coming over when you do so much already, Sami.
blackwatertown
March 20, 2011
Interesting post (as usual) and deserving of a better response than this. But here goes anyway.
The Arab League is a bit of a flimsy organisation at the best of times, so the interventionists have probably got the best that can be hoped from them. As a commenter on the BBC website said – Amr Moussa needs to man up. Or as David Cameron said (much though it pains me to speak of him approvingly) it’s a bit rubbish to will the ends without willing the means. (I paraphrase, but you get the gist.)
The Al Jazeera panel is right in identifying a lot of western behaviour as motivated by self-interest – but is that so surprising, or wrong. (And the whole supposedly slack Obama lassitude about rushing into another war – again , maybe not so silly after all. Why should American be the stand out bete noir this time. Why shouldn’t it hold back pour encouragez les autres to put their money where their mouth is.)
I do worry that people are swallowing a simplistic view of goodies v baddies in Libya. It’s clear the whole country is not and hs not risen up against the ruling regime. But maybe – just maybe – as this is a nearby coastal strip of a state, this time a limited intervention is do-able?
Meanwhile, to paraphrase (it’s becoming a habit this paraphrasing) another film: You had me at “Round up the usual suspects.” – along with The Battle of Algiers, a favourite film.
samhenry
March 20, 2011
I love playing “gottcha” with an intelligent being such as yourself. If I read you correctly, the whole of Libya was never totally behind regime change. I have heard from friends who know the history of Libya that the tribes in the west will always be loyal to Go-daffy. I think we are a little stuck in Libya – just a little. Interesting that while the Chinese abstained from voting for the measure, they were obviously given a heads up by the US to get all 36,000 of their people out of the way. They could have remained and made life difficult. We are poor as church mice here and Obama has taken us to war again. Tomahawks by any other name are still missiles and they will need to be replaced. I can tell you the mood in the America I know is grim. We are waiting for the other shoe to drop when we will be poor and can no longer afford even food and it will all be over. We are imploding from within; exploding bombs and missiles without and the ship of state is sinking. Which will sink first: the monarchy in Britain or the monarchy in Washington? Either way, they’re doomed and we will be left picking up the tab. God help us.
bydesign001
March 21, 2011
Indeed you are right SH on so many levels. We will in the end get stuck with the tab and the blame.
As for the Arab league, we should have known better than to seek the blessings from a loony tune group whose views are not worth a tank of gas
samhenry
March 21, 2011
You can say that again, D. We sit and watch the revolutions and then we look to the very group of dictators for approval. What does Obama think he is doing?
samiam60
March 21, 2011
Good Morning D, SamHenry and blackwatertown. This is a very good post and I have re-posted it over at the Village of the Banned for further exposure. This message is too important not to get passed along and it also coincides with my Voting American post on this same subject. Thank you dear for your contribution.
samhenry
March 21, 2011
You are always welcome Sami and thank you.
blackwatertown
March 21, 2011
Flattered to be included in your good morning greeting.
I’m just a visitor.
SamHenry is the business.
samhenry
March 21, 2011
Paul – Sami and I and others here came from a blog where we greeted everyone each day we encountered on a post. It’s just an old habit assumed by some even older bloggers. Just an FYI.
bydesign001
March 21, 2011
Good morning all,
I agree Samiam, this is an excellent post. I have shared on my facebook and emailed to friends as well.
Great job SH.
samhenry
March 21, 2011
OMG – I am sincerely overwhelmed. It’s just me, SH nothing special. I am delighted you all saw something in it. It makes my efforts worthwhile. It gets harder and harder for me and arthritis is beginning to creep into my fingers and with it some discomfort.