Bombs over Libya
Libya presents a dilemma to many on the left
Is the military action against Libya necessary and helpful in order to stop Gaddafi’s regime’s onslaught on its opponents or is it an imperialist aggression driven by strategical self-interest, which only will make things worse for the Libyan people? The international left is split on this question. And the question is truly complex and cannot be answered by ready made slogans about always being opposed to imperialist aggressions or unconditional support to the rebels. A serious response must be based on a concrete assessment of the situation in Libya, and not on abstract principles or revolutionary rhetoric.
This weekend the bombs started falling over Libya, after the UN Security Council gave green light for imposing a no-fly zone.
The double standards of the West are conspicuous. How can we trust leaders who defended Mubarak till the last and who still even refuse to condemn the Bahraini kingdoms’ use of lethal force against peaceful protesters in being genuinely moved by the human rights situation in Libya?
Equally, the responsibility of the West in creating the monster of Gaddafi is obvious. There have certainly been ups and downs in the relations between Tripoli and Western capitals reflected by the global power balance. But on the bottom line, it is true that Gaddafi has been supported and armed by the Western powers for decades.
Both these points make it clear that we should be extremely sceptical about the former colonial powers sudden manifestation of goodwill towards the Libyan people. But none of these points are, by themselves, arguments for opposing the no-fly zone over Libya.
Rejecting Western military intervention in Libya requires a better analysis of the risks and possible scenarios on the ground. And we do need to address some rather difficult objections – namely the fact that the leaders of the opposition forces have been calling for a no-fly zone and that we have to come with better alternatives than posting blogs of solidarity and anti-imperialism.
It is true that opposing military intervention puts the left in a difficult position, where we seem to be unwilling to deal with real life problems, and where our principles thus prevent us from saving lives. We have to come up with better answers than vague statements and long articles about solidarity with Libya and continued anti-imperialist struggle.
The risks of only making matters worse by a Western military intervention are high. Already on the first day of the attack, international media outlets report that citizens of Tripoli turned themselves against the attacks – and that more people rallied behind Gaddafi. There is no doubt that the colonel himself is using the attacks to represent himself as the defender of the nation against foreign ’barbaric crusaders’ and thus alienating the opposition forces. This will be further strengthened the moment that Western bombs hit the wrong target and cause substantial ’collateral damage’ – something that is bound to happen in the event of prolonged military actions.
Jeremy Morlock, a key suspect in a US Army prosecution of soldiers, accused of terrorizing unarmed Afghan civilians, has agreed to plead guilty to murder charges and testify against his co-defendants. JEREMY MORLOCK, part of the Army Stryker “kill team” in Afghanistan, pled guilty today to killing three Afghan civilians in an Army court-martial case. Photos of Morlock and his colleagues posing with Afghan corpses were published in the German magazine Der Spiegel this week, stirring controversy about abuse, torture and defilement carried out by enlisted men and women during the occupation. “The plan was to kill people, sir,” the soldier, Specialist Jeremy N. Morlock, told a military judge at this base south of Seattle. Specialist Morlock, one of five soldiers accused of killing the Afghans near Kandahar last year, had previously agreed in court documents to testify against the other defendants in exchange for his plea. He is seeking a maximum of 24 years in prison. A military judge still must approve the agreement. Specialist Morlock, 22, of Wasilla, Alaska, is the first of the five soldiers to face a court-martial. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three charges of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, assault and other charges. Morlock said that his team faked combat situations so they could kill Afghan civilians, largely for sport. He specifically cited Staff Sgt. Calvin R. Gibbs as the ringleader of the kill team. Gibbs has maintained his innocence and said that all Afghan deaths resulted from combat situations. The pictures tell a different story, however. Morlock, who has agreed to testify against other defendants, is trying to secure a plea bargain of no more than 24 years in prison. Seymour Hersh of The New Yorker wrote about the kill team photographs yesterday. Why photograph atrocities? And why pass them around to buddies back home or fellow soldiers in other units? How could the soldiers’ sense of what is unacceptable be so lost? No outsider can have a complete answer to such a question. As someone who has been writing about war crimes since My Lai, though, I have come to have a personal belief: these soldiers had come to accept the killing of civilians—recklessly, as payback, or just at random—as a facet of modern unconventional warfare. In other words, killing itself, whether in a firefight with the Taliban or in sport with innocent bystanders in a strange land with a strange language and strange customs, has become ordinary. In long, unsuccessful wars, in which the enemy—the people trying to kill you—do not wear uniforms and are seldom seen, soldiers can lose their bearings, moral and otherwise. The consequences of that lost bearing can be hideous. This is part of the toll wars take on the young people we send to fight them for us. The G.I.s in Afghanistan were responsible for their actions, of course. But it must be said that, in some cases, surely, as in Vietnam, the soldiers can also be victims. It is unclear whether this sorry episode will have any impact on the nation’s future endeavors in Afghanistan. But it’s worth noting that even some Blue Dogs have turned against the war. UPDATE: Morlock was sentenced to 24 years. One more instance of naked aggression, wrapped and served in thick layers of hypocrisy, the true coin of the realm. By Stephen Lendman The Coalition bombing—virtually unstoppable— has already caused enormous damage and wrecked hundreds of houses and vehicles supposedly in "enemy" hands. On March 19, ironically on the eighth anniversary of “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” a White House Office of the Press Secretary quoted Obama saying: In fact, it was long-planned. All military interventions require months of preparation, including target selections, strategy, enlisting political and public support, troop deployments, and post-conflict plans. Weeks, maybe months in advance, Special Forces, CIA agents, and UK SAS operatives were in Libya, enlisting, inciting, funding, and arming so-called anti-Gaddafi opposition forces, ahead of Western aggression for imperial control. More on it below.
False! In fact, Washington-led naked aggression was launched to replace one despot with another, perhaps assassinate Gaddafi, his sons and top officials, colonize Libya, control its oil, gas and other resources, exploit its people, private state industries under Western (mainly US) control, establish new Pentagon bases, use them for greater regional dominance, perhaps balkanize the country like Yugoslavia and Iraq, and prevent any democratic spark from emerging. Military and government targets include: About 25 US, UK, French, Canadian and Italian ships are involved, 11 from America, including three nuclear submarines. The Pentagon is providing command, control and logistics support. Air and surface-launched munitions are being used, including against Tripoli, the capital and Gaddafi stronghold. Moreover, invasion and perhaps occupation may follow, despite official denials.
Pack Journalism Promotes War A previous article explained how it enlists public support for imperial war, accessed through the following link: http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/03/pack-journalism-promotes-war-on-libya.html
Love or hate him, Gaddafi said: Hours earlier, he pledged a ceasefire. Conflicting reports disagree if he honored it. Is he or Western intervention stoking violence? US media reports point fingers one way. http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2011/03/washingtons-un-war-resolution-on-libya.html
Launched the next day, the resources of another resource-rich Arab state will be divided among Western belligerents, to benefit Libyans, they claim.
As of Sunday morning, visible destruction also included 14 tanks, 20 armored personnel carriers, two or more trucks, rocket launchers, dozens of pick-ups, and exploding munitions. Ahead of cruise missile attacks, France initiated reconnaissance flights and aggression.
Central is the National Libyan Council (NLC), announced on February 26, established officially on March 5, led by former Libyan Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, a Western-allied opportunist.
In charge of military and foreign affairs, members include Omar El-Hariri, Ali al-Essawi, and Mahmoud Jebril as leader.
Not an angry Western demand was heard to stop hostilities and leave. Nor against similar Egyptian army attacks or on civilians in Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, Oman, Iraq, and Yemen, let alone daily against Palestinians. On March 18, in fact, dozens of Yemenese were killed, scores more wounded in Sanaa, the capital, when security forces attacked thousands, demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down.
A Final Comment
Will it work? Love or hate Gaddafi, Libyans know what Iraqis, Afghans and Palestinians endure. Moreover, its society is fractious, divided by tribal loyalties, suspicious of Western intervention, and long-governed locally as well as nationally. SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/. Commanders brace for backlash of anti-US sentiment A degenerate, hypocritical society commanded by a global plutocratic mafia with current HQ in Washington, DC., taps a vast reservoir of mostly poor, brainwashed, or deformed human beings to do its dirty work, use them as cannon fodder or foreign oppressors, and the results are as predictable as they are ugly. Jon Boone Long before Vietnam, American soldiers used in imperial adventures engaged in shameful practices, frequently covered up by the media (and history books) but known to the troops themselves. Many decent souls revolted against these crimes. (Photo: Der Spiegel) Der Spiegel to the images of US soldiers abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq which sparked waves of anti-US protests around the world. They fear that the pictures could be even more damaging as they show the aftermath of the deliberate murders of Afghan civilians by a rogue US Stryker tank unit that operated in the southern province of Kandahar last year. Five of the soldiers are on trial for pre-meditated murder, after they staged killings to make it look like they were defending themselves from Taliban attacks. Other charges include the mutilation of corpses, the possession of images of human casualties and drug abuse. All of the soldiers have denied the charges. They face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted. An investigation by Der Spiegel has unearthed approximately 4,000 photos and videos taken by the men. The US military has strived to keep the pictures out of the public domain fearing it could inflame feelings at a time when anti-Americanism in Afghanistan is already running high. The lengthy Spiegel article that accompanies the photographs contains new details about the sadistic behaviour of the men. In one incident in May last year, the article says, during a patrol, the team apprehended a mullah who was standing by the road and took him into a ditch where they made him kneel down.
The patrol team later claimed to their superiors that the mullah had tried to threaten them with a grenade and that they had no choice but to shoot. In addition to the threat from the publication of the photographs, security has been heightened amid fears the Taliban may try to attack Persian new year celebrations. Tomorrow could also attract attacks because Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, is due to make a speech declaring which areas of the country should be transferred from international to Afghan control in the coming months. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2011 Army Specialist Pleads Guilty to Murdering Afghan Civilians for Sport
By: David Dayen Wednesday March 23, 2011
Imperial War on Libya
• military air fields, tanks, artillery, other weapons, munitions, fuel depots, mobile and other targets.
US Army ‘kill team’ in Afghanistan posed with photos of murdered civilians
that could be more damaging than after the Abu Ghraib scandal
The Guardian, Monday 21 March 2011
To the Gay Community: Now That You Can Join the Military, Please Don't!
We know that the military is one of the only ways many young people can afford a college education these days and that the financial crisis severely limits this generation’s career options. But we still encourage young men and women to look for other opportunities that don’t involved killing or being killed in wars we shouldn’t be fighting.
