What Gaddafi’s Death Teaches the Middle East…And Should Teach the West
What can we learn from the death of Libyan dictator Moammar Qadhafi? First, we should note that he is the second Arab dictator to die in the last decade, the first being the Iraqi Saddam Hussein. Both met their demise due to direct Western intervention.
There are three lessons for the region:
1. To get rid of a dictator, you need either Western intervention or the support of the armed forces.
Consider this simple list:
Dictatorships overthrown with Western forces taking the lead: Iraq, Libya
Dictatorships overthrown with the backing of the army: Egypt, Tunisia
Failed revolutions when these two factors are lacking: Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen.
That shows that it is not popular revolt that changes things in the region.
Dictators must fight or die and concessions don’t help.
The Western view is that revolutions are prevented by moderation and compromise, steps that please the masses and thus discourage them from revolting. This is so deeply ingrained that Western observers simply cannot conceive that approach as anything but a natural law. In contrast, in the Middle East, the political philosophy has been based on the idea that force and intimidation prevail.
With one notable exception, where brilliant maneuvering and concessions (albeit often illusory ones) worked — Morocco — the Middle East has shown that its approach works locally. Even in Turkey, where democratic norms are observed, once in power the Islamist regime has gained ground through toughness and not through concessions. The prisons are full of its opponents.
The event in Eastern Europe that most impressed Arab governments was the assassination in Romania of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife, Elena. They knew that this could happen to them. When combined with the lesson from the USSR — how Mikhail Gorbachev’s engagement in reforms brought him down — these events played a central role in destroying the 1990s era of toying with possible moderation. The “old-time religion” of toughness and repression was reaffirmed.
Nowhere has this proven to be truer than in Syria. Despite Western fantasies of moderation and reform from dictator Bashar al-Assad, there has never been the slightest chance of this happening. The whole Obama foreign policy toward Syria was demonstrably foolish.
2. The events of the last year have reinforced this worldview — repress or die. Have no illusions.
An interesting case study of how this works is offered by Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi in a superb short article, “Assessing Bahrain.” The strength of al-Tamimi’s analysis is that he points out both the real threat (Iranian-backed, radical Islamist Shia opposition) and the tragedy (the regime’s failure to deal with a more moderate Shia faction that wants a constitutional monarchy and isn’t Islamist).
But would it have been possible to work with the latter without ending up having the hardliners triumph? Impossible to say for sure, of course, but the hardline ruling faction in the monarchy wasn’t interested in finding out, and the Saudis certainly didn’t want to take any chances. Hence, they turned to pure repression and are still in power.
3. (Ironically) You can’t trust the West, so be tough and defend yourself
Remember a peculiar fact: even though Gaddafi was generally a horribly repressive anti-American dictator, in his final years he tried making a deal with the Americans. Gaddafi was frightened by the U.S. attack on Iraq in 2003 and didn’t want to be next on the list. So he cooperated, gave up his nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction programs, and reduced his foreign subversive efforts.
That did not save him from being overthrown by the United States, just as it did not save a genuine American ally, President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. On this point, I’m not advocating anything about what the United States should have done in Libya but just observing how it will be received in the region.
In Libya, “The brigade for purging slaves, black skin”
- slogan seen painted in rebel country
– spared and can’t be saved by Obama, who let the armed mob kill a wounded Gaddafi trying to surrender.
Well, that’s indicative of the amount of control and influence you bring to bear on a situation when you’re “leading from behind”.
There is mostly silence about the horrors taking place against Libya’s blacks.
STOP the GENOCIDE of Blacks by the U.S. backed cruel Libya rebels!
The Obama-supported rebels left in charge are now conducting a “large scale cleaning in the areas under their control with the extermination of all blacks in the capital”, according to The Independent.
Barbaric atrocities, kidnappings and ruthless genocide of blacks in Libya by US/France/NATO backed Al-Qaeda/Hezbollah rebels has been going on for months.
US/NATO who have waged war for months for Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda
who MURDER our troops in Iraq-are RESPONSIBLE for stopping the genocide.
US/NATO are also responsible for rescuing the many terrified blacks kidnapped by the rebels, including the kidnapped black children who have been horrifically abused by the black-hater Muslim rebels.
Blacks must have human rights!
STOP THE GENO0CIDE!
I have seen several news stories that say the black men being rounded up and misreated by the anti-Gadhafi forces are foreign mercenaries hired by Gadhafi, not native Libyans.
I am not excusing any mistreatment but isn’t the best approach here to get these alleged mercenaries into some kind of NATO supervision where their citizenship can be reliably determined and then the appropriate laws and international agreements followed? If they are foreign mercenaries, I don’t know what international law requires in this situation – internment in Libya? deportation to their home countries? trials? – but I’m sure that UN or State Department experts can help determine that.
Only a very small number of the Blacks were foreign mercenaries! Most of the Blacks went to Libya for work and were not/are not mercenaries. The U.S. State Department, NATO and the UN are not going to help the Blacks!
Arab Muslims are infamous for their racism and contempt for Blacks.
Hundreds of thousands of Black Sudanese Christian children and women have been taken for slaves by Sudan’s Arab Muslims.
Jihad Slavery in Sudan, with Dr Charles Jacobs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP4Fcx7AE_o
May every slave be free one day!
Linda, there is just so much that we can ask of the American soldier, and we have worked these good men and women till they are basket cases, all for a CIC that is about as much of a CIC as Barnie Fife would be…If these blacks are from Africa and hired on as Servants and Soldiers of fortune for Gaddafi, they have chosen the wrong graduate subject, and will pay the price…I wanted to hire out as a “Wild Geese” after the Viet Nam war, but it was not in the cards, for me…Remember a Col. Callen, and his squad of “Geese’ they were all captured and executed….’back in the 70s…
To jimi, I don’t want our military to go to war. I’m very disgusted by the unjust, hateful treatment given to our military. The rotten Rules of Engagement where Muslim terrorists lives are regarded as more valuable than our military.
Why can’t NATO and UN troops escort blacks safely out of the country? Of course, racist black haters, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the other rebels want people to believe that the blacks are mercenaries. Only a small number of blacks were mercenaries. One third of the population of Libya are black Libyans!
Linda what did you think would happen? Let’s see Africans? Check. Muslims? Check. Enraged and out of control young men? Check.
If there is a woman between six and sixty who doesn’t get raped by the ‘plucky rebels’ it will be a miracle. The rebels will round up all the people they can. That means anyone who has no one to speak up for them and kill them, enslave them, or make them wish they were dead.
The US and NATO knew this would happen the moment they started dropping bombs on Khadaffi. Did you think Obama wanted to be known as the president who started a war with crazy Qadaffi and lost?
There is nothing that the American fighting man should be asked to do for these people except leave them alone. No one (except a dedicated Islamist) would believe that these countries will be better off under the new management.
Welcome to the Obama-world.
If the “blacks” in Libya wished to be treated better, they should have not allied themselves to a brutal dictator who thought nothing of using the most violent and repressive measures against his own people; measures so despicable that he had to import mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa to impose them to forestall rebellion by his own native forces against his rule.
United together in JIHAD, US/NATO, Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah triumph over Libya.
Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and the commander of the U.S. European Command told the U.S. Senate that Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah fighters are among the Libyan rebels currently receiving support from the US and its NATO allies. This was confirmed by one of the Libyan rebel officers, Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, who leads one of the Al-Qaeda units.
U.S/NATO joined with Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah terrorists to wage war.
Gadaffi did some terrible things. But US/NATO consider barbaric Al Qaeda and barbaric Hezbollah to be good guys to be placed in power in Libya? US/NATO have great guilt in making the world a far more dangerous place.
Um, I still have not seen where the removal of a Middle Eastern dictator has actually turned out better for that country. The Shias in Iraq are just waiting for us to leave before they start another civil war to take over that country. Even in Afghanistan, the Taliban will simply take over as soon as we go, with our puppet in Kabul guaranteed to fall as soon as we leave. But everywhere else where Middle Eastern kings or dictators have been overthrown, nothing but more horrible regimes have followed (such as in Iran). The only country that actually had a shot at democracy was Lebanon, but that’s even gone now that Hezbollah has basically taken over the country. It’s only a matter of months before the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt and Libya will have tribal warfare for generations to come.
Nope, trying to bring democracy to the Middle East is like trying to teach an elephant to tap dance. It ain’t going to happen. For centuries, this part of the world has been run by kings, generals, nationalist dictators, or religious fanatics. Nothing is going to change. We should start taking bets right now on what military guy with a beret is going to run Libya in a few months.
“For centuries, this part of the world has been run by kings, generals, nationalist dictators, or religious fanatics.”
This is true of most of Western history, as well. The difference with the West, though, is that we had the Enlightenment and thus managed to build free and wealthy societies. The Islamic world is in a Dark Age every bit as bad as the European one. They have to bring themselves out of it and choose civilization over barbarism…we cannot help them, we can only protect ourselves and defeat those who attack us.
Now the bloodshed will really start as the winners fight among themselves to decide who is the boss, same as the old boss.
It’s libya and what libyans do to each other ain’t our business nor is what the libyans do to the blacks in their midst or under their right hand.
Under Gadaffi, Blacks were safe! Now Blacks live in daily fear and under a reign of terror all because US/NATO waged war for months for Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda, empowering these monsters and winning the war for our enemies. THERE IS NO ONE TO HELP THE BLACK PEOPLE!
Listen Linda, I am a compassionate conservative man when it comes to righting wrongs and making everyone happy. However, you must realize that it is neither in our national interest nor in our power to “help” the black people in Libya. They aren’t in our country so our laws do not affect them.
Would it be nice if they were? Absolutely because then we could plan out strategic missions to act on that goal. However, reality must intervene by pointing out that sending -our- men and women overseas to free an “oppressed” people is not worth its salt. Those people do not comprise a majority and cannot possibly prove to have strategic value.
In a nutshell, their lives are not worth the money it would cost to save them. If they are American citizens, however, it our duty to mount an attempt at rescuing them.
Zamir
Hello Zamir,
Under Gadaffi, Blacks were SAFE! There was no genocide of Blacks! US/NATO conducted relentless war for Muslim barbarians making the genocide possible. Because of this, US/NATO has a moral responsibility to safely escort Blacks out of Libya.
America is broke. Even though we don’t have money to fight any wars, US/NATO joined with our ENEMIES – barbaric Al Qaeda and Hezbollah terrorists who HATE Americans and ALL other infidels, in order to destroy Gadaffi and the many Libyans who support Gadaffi in order to bring to power the most radical elements of Islam.
U.S. and other Western leaders are DELIBERATELY destabilizing the Middle East and in country after country are working to bring to power the most dangerous and radical Muslim terrorists. U.S. and other Western leaders are very scary people. There is no one watching out for the safety of America, Europe and other countries.
Blacks in Libya under Gadaffi are analogous to the presence of Palestinians in Iraq during the Baathist Regime of Saddam Hussein, they were a protected class useful to the regime.
Now, their patron is gone and they will have to fend for themselves as they are extremely resented by native Libyans, just as the Palestinians were resented by the Shia in Iraq. If they were smart, they would – like the Palestinians did in Iraq – leave, and return to from wherever they came, or whomever will have them.
None of this will end well for anyone. The result of all of this “reform” is going to be a new crop of dictators and strongmen with the backing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Gaddafi’s death is a great thing and the world is a better place now that the fashion-challenged despot is gone. However once the common enemy is gone sectarian violence is almost sure to follow.
Anyone who expects a sudden sprout of pro-Western democratic states in this region is sadly deluded. Our choices are going to be between Bad, Very Bad, and Abysmal. The one constant will be that the Saudis will do whatever they have to do to protect their interests and insure that trouble takes place somewhere else.
and the policy of dividend and rolling on them has been started in 16 century in British Empire and since then the British have colonized the entire world and they have created many nations only for their interest all around the world, they divided every nation regarding to their resource and in advance the British had have preparation for the conflicts in any part of the world and also for their interest they did not cares if those nations are Jews or Muslim nor Christian they sacrifices the life any human being for their interest like they did to Jews to Muslims and to Christians too, for example before the British invade the M,E there were not dispute between Arab and Jews regarding to State of Israel because the Muslim always believed that land belong to Jews but the British had brain washed the Muslims against the Jews and have created this conflict only for their interest in M,E and it was same story for Libya and others, when they need them they support them and when they do not need them they will support their opponents and their allies will stand with them too ,in the end if you want to survive in this world you need to be intelligent and strong and not depend on other nation and united with your people and be vigilant and also be aware of British Empire and her allies it is not easy but it is also possible .
That’s a really long sentence Emanuel. But if you read the koran and hadith, a good portion of the muslim faith was based on hatred of the Jews.
You’re living in a dream world if you think the muslims would co-exist with Israel(or anyone else for that matter) if not for the British influence in the Middle East.
i have no doubt that you are 100% right and i know every thing about the history of Islam and it dose not mean that i justify the action of religion of hate and murderess and do not forget that Islam has two period and the first period is about hate the Jews but in second period is defending the right of Jews in that historic land and do not forget on the beginning the three Arab nation(Iraq &Saudi Arabia& Egypt) did accept the right of Jews for State of Israel and also in early 19 century Chiam Wiseman had two visit with King Faisal and also he did visit the Egypt which he had spurt of King Farogh too but later on every thing has changed because of double standard game of British Empire,Please for more information read the dairy of Churchill(Churchill and promise land ),
Long life to State of Israel and Am Israel Chai .
Correct. Just like the American revolution never would have succeeded without help from the French military.
To all you it is not about democracy ,it is all about resources and making balance of power all around the world ,Shah of Iran was smart and intelligent he have brought modernization in Iran he have built many university and have educated his people ,he have sent hundreds of thousand student in a foreign country to get better education and learn Europeans democracy ,he had prevent war against Iran in that area but in the end President Jimmy Cater started to support Islamic fanatic’s with excuse of his policy of Human rights and every body knows in final day what did happen to Iran and right now we are witnesses what is going on in Egypt and Turkey which they have support of President Barrack Hussein Obama and possible future an other war between Egypt and Israel and Israel is the one should pay the price their dirty policy.
To all you it is not about democracy ,it is all about resources and making balance of power all around the world ,Shah of Iran was smart and intelligent he have brought modernization in Iran he have built many university and have educated his people ,he have sent hundreds of thousand student in a foreign country to get better education and learn Europeans democracy ,he had prevent war against Iran in that area but in the end President Jimmy Cater started to support Islamic fanatic’s with excuse of his policy of Human rights and every body knows in final day what did happen to Iran and right now we are witnesses what is going on in Egypt and Turkey which they have support of President Barrack Hussein Obama and possible future an other war between Egypt and Israel and Israel is the one should pay the price their dirty policy.
To all of you it is not about democracy ,it is all about resources and making balance of power all around the world ,Shah of Iran was smart and intelligent he have brought modernization in Iran he have built many university and have educated his people ,he have sent hundreds of thousand student in a foreign country to get better education and learn Europeans democracy ,he had prevent war against Iran in that area but in the end President Jimmy Cater started to support Islamic fanatic’s with excuse of his policy of Human rights and every body knows in final day what did happen to Iran and right now we are witnesses what is going on in Egypt and Turkey which they have support of President Barrack Hussein Obama and possible future an other war between Egypt and Israel and Israel is the one should pay the price their dirty policy.
Okay, triple posting the exact same alphabet soup is irritating to my eyes. Don’t triple post, and learn grammar so that more people will be willing to read what you have to say.
Emanuel, sadly you are using history and facts about what happened to the middle east in the last 125 years. You see Americans, those under forty, don’t read books anymore. They don’t write or speak with thought to content or elucidation. If it isn’t on YuTube it didn’t happen. I know you are trying to give a point of view from your world but until we have a ‘sit-com’ or a ‘reality’ show about your history, you are ‘blowing in the wind’.
gazinya , I understand you very well and always have been aware that too, but what a bout the media don’t you think the media also plying double standard game ,don’t you think there is lot of hate and propagandas against State of Israel, don’t you think the media putting more fuel in M,E conflict and all of those propagandas is for interest of west and British Empire and U S A too, any way despite my bad English i will keep talking and writing and making people to understand the reality of that conflict in M,E.
There was no dictatorship overthrown in Egypt by the army since that army was in fact the dictatorship; Mubarak was just the front man.
Saying the Egyptian army was at any point anti-Mubarak is like saying Christians are anti-God.
“Islam, say the radicals and much of the mainstream, is whatever we say so shut up and do what we say.”
I always wondered about that prohibition given the historical examples. You’re conclusion reminds me of the American constitution and the mainstream view that it means whatever five judges says it means.
“You’re conclusion reminds me of the American constitution and the mainstream view that it means whatever five judges says it means.”
There are nine judges on the US Supreme Court, not five.
…and when at least five of the nine judges agree that a law is Constitutional, that is the law.
No matter how ugly, vicious, murderous it may be, eg, Roe vs. Wade.
What fools we are! We have turned a puerile Libya over to islamic jihadists. Now it will join the ranks of several other middle eastern countries in hating and overthrowing the USA.Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, ad infinitum- all now controlled by moslem jihadists.
The primary danger to mankind today is Islam. To pretend otherwise is to deliberately lie. That international criminal conspiracy must be wiped out, or it will consume and destroy us, as it threatens, daily to do.It is not going to spontaneously remit, nor self-modify. Islam, Sharia, is the koran in application; a vicious, satanic, sociopathic glimpse of Hell.
Why do our leaders insist on furthering its cause?
Because our elites despise their country, its people, its history, its culture, its institutions and the fact that, at least in theory, everyone, rich or poor, is equal in the eyes of the law.
I very much agree with White Tiger and Libertyship46 more power to you man I hope a lot lot of people read and learn from your blog.
What Gaddafi’s Death Teaches the Middle East?
Don’t threaten to withhold your oil from the French.
Bob, you are half a world away and mourning for Quadaffi.
Tell your feelings to the Libyans who are kissing the ground,
hugging each other, jubilant over Quadaffi gone forever.
Bob- I tell you, shame on you for insulting the Libyan people.
I would buy you a ticket to go over to Libya and explain
to them why “THEY ARE WRONG AND YOU ARE RIGHT”-are you ready to go?
“The brigade for purging slaves, black skin”
- slogan seen painted in rebel country.
These Libyans are NOT kissing the ground!
WorldNetDaily, AUGUST 06, 2011
Two U.S. sources currently in Tripoli told G2Bulletin that Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim, who is part of the embattled Gadhafi regime, told them that the Warfalla tribe – one of the largest in Libya – is being joined by other tribes to fight the rebels because of what is described as indiscriminate killing of civilians by Western alliance-backed troops.
The sources said that Qatari troops, tanks and helicopters “are openly killing these unarmed tribal members. They have their Qatari tanks in the streets of Benghazi. They are actively shooting on unarmed civilians.”
Repeated NATO bombings also have included hospitals, Ramadan food storage warehouses, the country’s main water distribution infrastructure, private homes and “more than 1,600 other civilian sites.”
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.printable&pageId=330341
“What Gaddafi’s Death Teaches the Middle East?
Don’t threaten to withhold your oil from the French.”
That’s definitely one of the lessons I’d take from it if I were a Middle Eastern dictator.
– to resist Obama to the utmost. No way out for either of them.
So who is going to help the United States rid itself of its Dictator, uh, Murderer-in-Chief?
According to the article, nobody.
Why did the global government target Gaddafi? Why not the Sudan? What is the end game?
I think the CFR globalists support the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East to bring back the Islamic economic region with one coin that Briton destroyed in WWI. In exchange for a Hunda.
There is no Arab spring. Just murder by another tribe of moon god worshipers to gain power with more Islamic law.
Barry Rubin and I have arrived at apparently the same conclusion: America has inadvertently sent a message to thugs around the world that we are not to be trusted. Ghadafi thought he had a tacit agreement with our country . He would be left alone after dismantling his WMD programs. The dictator would be alive today had he not been so naive.
Well-Mr. Thomson and so many others here-Linda Rivera-et al-I am shocked by
the responses here today. Mr. Rubin-this article is horrible.
Tell the Libyan people who are cheering and hugging each other that
Quadaffi is gone forever- give Libyans a chance.
I am happy for them. A major disease has been wiped out-and that is an
example to other dictators worldwide -regardless of what Mr. Rubin says.
Enough with the trashing of the Libyans-they are free now.
As for the black mercenaries- they are not even wanted back in countries they came from-but I suppose some of you liberals want to bring them over to live with you-and of course USA should pay for all..you think so?
I am merely looking at the historical evidence. The smiling and happy faces are not sufficient in establishing a democratic government that respects the rights of differing ethnic groups and religions. One thug has probably been replaced by others minimally equal in ruthlessness. Quadaffi would also still be alive today had he not disbanded his WMD programs. We are going to pay a price for this perceived betrayal.
Oh,please. Are you saying he would use WMD’s against his own people?
No, Quadaffi would have been dealt with long before -if he had continued
with WMD’s. Where have you and others been -past few years -sharing valentines
and flowers with Quadaffi?
Libya is a small country, population-wise. I believe it will be a very smooth
transition to a peaceful, democratic country. -Surprise! May this be a wonderful example for the rest of the ME and Africa, Latin America- that dictators can be thrown out-and peaceful countries can organize themselves in the modern world- leaving ancient,barbaric thinking behind.
You seriously need to grow up. Intellectually, I mean.
Unless you get paid for what you write.
Sir, you know not of what you speak, NATO and the USA has done a very stupid thing. This evil dictator was no threat to anyone, Geo. Bush pulled his fangs, He admitted to his program for WMD`s and made it right by surrendering them to the USA…He kept the peace in Libya, and hopefully he was ready to pass the Mantle of Leadership on to his eldest son….and maybe we could of had another 40 years of peace from that region, or state….I think that the Lesbian lover of Hillery c. is a wide open door to the Muslem Powers that be, You seldom ever see this Muslem woman, but she and Hillery is un-seperable…It is my belief that Clinton, Obamo, Soros, Kissinger, and the very powerful forces in the shadows are busy as bee`s, stirring this M,E bucket of soup, and they seem to do all their evil work against moderates like Egypt, Libya, why have they not went after Syria, Iran, North Korea,…That would not do, it is better to slap around our moderate allies, and our true friends, Israel, and so was Egypt. and yes I would call them both our allies…Kaddafy was scarred out of his mind of being killed or overthrown, same as Saddam, of Iraq….there was another option to destroying Saddam, why could we not of spent some time one on one and really put the fear of G0d into him,…I really think we could of managed that also….Just need Professionals in doing America`s work, instead of the people we have had in the last few years…All this is water under the bridge, But we are still in a position to correct some of our worst State disasters we have ever committed…First fire the liberals, in 2012, and we go from there….thank you…Jimi
Are those smiling faces the media decided to display a majority or just part of their fauxtography?
Rubin- if I could – I would fire you from writing here at PJM…
Okay, I’m not certain what your angle is, but do not take such a serious writer so lightly. His articles are very much based in reality and not in a dream world where everyone gets along. Simply because he does not spout Obama’s “feel good” rhetoric does not make him fire-able.
I am happy for the Libyan people. They have a shot to become something meaningful in the grand scheme of things. However, as Rubin correctly points out, that has not happened yet. For any country in that region of the world. So instead of thinking with your heart, try thinking with your brain. You’ll find out that much of what you wish for is an improbable sequence of events from start to finish.
The United States beat those odds and are a good case study in what -can- happen. However, when gauged against the measuring stick of mankind you’ll quickly realize what I mean about improbable.
Zamir
Zam(ph)ir-most fair of you. Very logical.Rather pessimistic.
First- let us “give Libyans a chance”-I am hoping for rain,
and flowers, and peace in the desert. And, a hard-working,
honest government. I will be the first to criticize -if this doesn’t
happen-and quickly -but, not before they even get a chance to try…
Excellent, it seems that we do have the same viewpoint. On a side note, I’m relieved to see in your response that you have thought about what I mentioned. Most of the commenters on this site who start out with a position similar to yours end up shrilling advocating their point while blindly ignoring reality.
Zamir
You are simply ignoring the historical record. The odds are strongly against a good near future outcome. Violent overthrow of governments in reactionary countries with a high illiteracy rate rarely work out well. As matter of fact, I am unaware of any exceptions whatsoever! Libya is comprised of tribes that do not trust each other. A central governing elite will almost certainly be unable to exert any genuine control over the whole country. The Islamic extremists will not be significantly hindered. They will also set likely set up terrorist bases.
America is NOT a Muslim country. In America and other non-Muslim countries, we have freedom of speech.
My above letter is meant for you sir, ….I don`t want to appear to address it to the undeserving person Jimi..
It’s a good think you can’t then. The problem is the media is full of people with your kind of mindset: We don’t like your opinion, so we’ll fire you/not hire you/never let you write an op-ed or even respond to accusations made against you because we refuse to hear opinions we don’t like and will never allow our readers and viewers to hear them, even if your knowledge on the subject is far greater than ours. The truth is whatever we say, so shut up and do what we say.
What I want to know is who has or is getting Quaddafi’s money. In the not so distant past, he was werth, I believe, 40 BILLION $. Some may have been spent on weapons for any number of regimes or factions anywhere in the world. Hope our intelligence is aware of the financial chaos underway.
The bullet to his throat killed him, there was a blood trail. The bullet between his eyes came after he died as no blood came from the wound.
May Barry Soetoro Husein Obama see that image every night when he sleeps for he sure as shootin’ killed him. Murderer, Killer Assassin the spawn of Stanley Ann Dunham.
Can’t disagree with Lawrence Auster
“Eight year ago the United States made peace with Kaddafi, and put paid to the history between our two countries, including the Lockerbie bombing. The best and the brightest hailed this peace as a wonderful vindication of Bush’s foreign policy. U.S. officials including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. John McCain, and President Obama had friendly meetings with Kaddafi over the years.
Kaddafi never violated his agreements with us and never became a threat to us or our allies. He spoke in the warmest terms of the United States and of Obama. Yet the instant that people whom we chose to call democrats rose up in rebellion against him, our ideology and what we perceived as our political self-interest required that we side against him. We attacked his country, bombed his military and his government, bombed his residence, drove him from power, and now we have killed him. I will not become a moral relativist and make the despicable statement that the U.S. is as immoral as the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, there is now significant and terrible overlap between the behavior of the U.S.S.R and the behavior of the United States. We are not a moral state; we are not a state under the rule of law. We are, as Solzhenitsyn said of the Soviet Union, an ideological state, a state that will do anything, violate any agreement, betray any ally or friend, tell any lie, cover up any truth, in order to advance its ideology and its power that is associated with that ideology.
In betraying and killing a foreign leader with whom we had made peace, we have taken on terrible karma. I tremble to think of how that karma will manifest itself against us in the years to come.”
Jerod, I agree, but could there be something more going on here? Maybe the furtherance of radical islam ( facilitated by the “o”) ? Neither Ghadaffi or Mubarak were hard core muslims, thus they had to go. . . meanwhile, the murderous bastards in Iran, and those jockeying for power in Iraq, get a pass, or subtle encouragement. The “o” must go;he is a friend to radical islam.
Great post Jerod #24. Something is terribly wrong here. We are backing thugs to murder and beat to death those we were negotiating with only a few years ago. I’m a Brit. When Gaddaffi agreed to halt his WMD program, his terror program we were opening relations, heralding a new partnership. His sons educated in London as the new hope for a westernize Arab democracy. Libyan society was in no way perfect but by the standards of the region, relatively equitable.
And now we bomb civilians without care, and cheer his bloody corpse? We are on the wrong side, we are at war with oceania, we have always been at war with Oceania.
Just pointing out that a major destination for Black Africans is nasty old Israel,fascist and racist as(we are told it is. Or don’t the refugees know what is bestfor themselves?
Nicolae Causescu was not assassinated, but he was judged in a judicial proceeding that was for more just and lawful than anybody had been allowed in Romania for half a century. He even had the right to defend himself, which he did in a ridicule manner.
Yes, it’s true that Gaddafi reached an accommodation with the West regarding weapons of mass destruction (WMD) but he continued his crazy behavior.
Why do we overlook the trampled charges and death sentence against the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor who were held until a multi-million dolar ransom was paid?
Did we forget the tantrum he threw against Switzerland: he even brought a resolution to the UN ordering the dismemberment of the Swiss Conferderation among his neighbors!
He could have left Lybia and enjoy a plush exile in Venezuela at least until Chavez dies or is overthrown, be he chose the path of “resistance” instead. Bad luck!
Let’s stop this sterile play of “What if?” “What if the West let him butcher his people for 1, 2, or 10 more years?”
Then he would have been killed after 11 years. Is this length of time so important?
I do not romanticize his successors, whoever they may be. But the West should focus on them and try to prevent the worst. It’s still time and it’s still in its power.
POST-KADDAFY LIBYA
If you want to know what post-Kaddafy Libya will likely become think post-Saddam Iraq minus US/coalition forces.
Click my name and read my piece: Moammar Kaddafy and Saddam Hussein: Parallel Deaths Of Two Arab Dictators.
We have made a major error, This man was What his people wanted at the time, …Who are we to decide to undermine a friendly regime for the sake of mischief…Mark my words, The USA will rue the day they ever put this Madman in the W.H. of the USA…Who is going to help the U.S. to overthrow its EVIL gov`t…And what difference is 0bozo to Moammar Kaddafy, …will someone please explain to me where is the difference….
Jimi belton,when there is their interest friendship for supper power is meaningless and for same reason those supper power have created United nations and other international court, you should remember what United State and her allies did to previous Yugoslavia and in final day what did happen to President Milosevic,
The lesson here is make friends with the Russians or the Chinese and get nukes. Whatever you do, do not give them up. Put them on a deadman’s switch if they threaten to come get them.
Make statements like, ‘nice carrier group you got there America. Be a shame if something should happen to it.’
Of course every eighty year old man should be beaten to death and dragged through the streets.
I am certainly glad that this dictator has been captured and can no longer comit horrible acts upon people. Having said that, I am embarrased that Americans could cheer at the way MK was killed. He was captured and he should have had a trial and possibly hung in the court square for all to see.
To capture and beat a man and then to outright murder him with a gunshot to the head is not The American Way. At a time when or President is sitting with a Nobel Prize for Peace, we should all be ashamed. This is not what Americans stand for. I am glad he is dead, but this was not the way to do it. When I saw Shrillary bragging today, I wanted to throw up. Had a Republican President done this, there would be screams for impeachment. A killing is a killing.
The leftist were screaming over the death of Troy Davis just like week, but beating, dragging through streets and a shot to the head are a better kind of justice. Sad, very sad
We in Egypt understand what is the real eslaam , it is a big lie . the eslam can`t live with anther people . He crept a little bit to invade everything . so I am very amazed by the tolerance of the West with Islam .you Must pay attention that Islam is found to invade and destroy civilization. Do not open your doors to him so as not to regret and regret now in Egypt
You won’t succeed in convincing the Western know-it-alls of this, except the minority who already know it. The rest will only learn through their own experience. They will never listen to you.
If Qaddafi was bilingual he could have run for the mayor of one of the American big cities and won. He is a bad guy and his cruelty would be respected.
Nobody is more free than a bum sleeping under a bridge. The people in Libya will enjoy that type of freedom now that Qaddafi is gone. They wont have a care in the world or a dime in their pockets.
The massacre at Sirte will never be told, residents were raped and tortured while their screams were muffled by cries of god is great.
“Islamists hate this practice and have already begun desecrating these shrines, a sign of intolerance–even to other Muslims–to come.”
Nothing new there.
Wahabbist Islam of al-Saud replaced normative Sunni Islam in 1920 when they conquered the Arabian Peninsula.
One of the hallmarks of the Wahhabist Death Cult, which is today Sunni Islam, is that in the process of their rape of the Arabian Peninsula, they destroyed; pillaged; and looted all Muslim Shrines from Mecca to Basra.
It is unfortunate that most analysts of today’s Islamists do not realize the fundamental change in Sunni Islam that occurred when the Wahhabists took over in the early 1900′s or even when the Wilayat al Fiqh Death Cultists took over Iranian Shia Islam in 1979.
Both of these were heretic cults.
Wahhabism is now mainstream.
As Shia has produced many offspring cults over the centuries, one can only hope that Wilayat al Fiqh will continued to be condemned by mainstream Shia, such as the Grand Ayatollah Sistani.
Arab armies of the 7th Century often sodomized their enemies. They believed that through sodomy the evil spirits were destroyed and a prisoner of war made harmless.The sodomy of Qaddafi was an often used attempt to destroy evil spirits and at the same time release bad blood.
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good job !!