Transcend Media Service — Chandra Muzaffar, in his superb JUST Commentary for March 2011, argues for Gaddafi to step down, and adds that if he does, he may be remembered “for some of his outstanding accomplishments in the first decades of his rule – accomplishments such as the closure of the huge American air base in Libya in 1970; his nationalization of oil; the pivotal role he played in the reorganization of OPEC that enabled it to emerge as a powerful cartel challenging Western dominance over the oil industry; his massive man-made river project to irrigate desert land; his housing schemes for the low-income segment of society; and other infra-structure programmes.” All are absent from mainstream media today.
Add to the above Gaddafi’s role in shaping the Arab League, thwarted by the US-backed international military venture code-named Operation “Odysseus Dawn” (March 19–31, 2011) to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973; thereafter, it became Operation “Unified Protector” under NATO command. Add also Gaddafi’s role in the African Union, which he chaired from 2009 to 2010. He turned his attention south rather than east (Egypt, Saudi Arabia etc). And you have an answer to why the West, not only the USA, hated him from the very beginning. But then he became a victim of his own success – a dictator seeing himself as indispensable.
The recent pan-Arab revolt, described as the Arab Spring, has five characteristics. It is anti-autocratic, anti-kleptocratic (against greedy, corrupt governments), anti-imperialist, for youth and for women. Gaddafi’s profile is mixed, but not like Mubarak of Egypt or Ben-Ali of Tunisia, the two recently fallen rulers. Nor like for the Saudi Royal House and the Bahraini and Yemeni leaderships. Macro history (characterizing big, long-term historical trends) moves slowly. Nasser and Gaddafi set the course, but few would expect them to succeed immediately. They will both be remembered when the present Western dwarfs are forgotten.
The counter-revolution was planned a long time ago. The CIA set up the “National Front for the Salvation of Libya” (NFSL) way back in 1981, followed by the “Libyan National Army” (LNA), now known as the Benghazi rebels. On November 2, 2010, the Anglo-French agreement to attack Libya no later than January 30, 2011 was signed – for the first time since the attack on Egypt in October 1956. In all likelihood, the attack on Libya is equally ill-fated. We sense already that Obama is distancing himself from the French-led attack, transferring some of the imperial role on a France that exacted a high price for rejoining NATO as a full member (French demands included America’s acceptance of an independent European defense and a leading French role in NATO’s command structure). Is Sarkozy, le petit Napoléon, hoping to take over as the USA gets increasingly bankrupt, already servicing debt with 41 cents of every federal dollar spent? Well, we shall soon find out, but NATO is still under US command and the EU is still unable to formulate a joint independent policy.
The West sacrificed dispensable figures like Ben-Ali and Mubarak, and then used Libya to create a humanitarian emergency of their own making. Who kills more civilians with cluster bombs or depleted uranium? But in cities re-conquered by Gaddafi, no massacre has taken place so far, as Stephen M. Walt points out in Foreign Policy (See “Is America Addicted to War? The Top 5 Reasons Why We Keep Getting Into Foolish Fights,” April 4, 2011).
The alliance mobilized by the deeply Christian-Zionist Hillary Clinton to fight Gaddafi got “Yes” from 10 out of 15 UN Security Council members, while half of humanity (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Germany) abstained. These member-states are neither against saving civilians nor for selective humanitarianism. In the Arab League, only 11 of 22 members voted – 9 in favor and Syria and Algeria against (Syria may be the next US target). Only Qatar and the United Arab Emirates participate militarily in the operation against Gaddafi. Qatar is displaying its usual ambiguity, and the UAE is totally unambiguous – pro-US.
This is NATO’s first African invasion (it has to be called as such) after several in Asia.
There was no attack on a NATO member-state. No common enemy, no real discussion, no vote, and no consensus within the Western alliance. Germany and Turkey are opposed and refuse any combat role. Turkey is involved in complex mediation, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan focusing his efforts on Gaddafi, and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on the rebel-held Benghazi. Other factors in the background:Gaddafi seems to have wanted to switch from Western oil companies to Russian, Indian and Chinese companies, just as Saddam Hussein of Iraq had moved from dollars to euros; anti-Gaddafi forces in Benghazi say that when they have won, oil contracts will be awarded to those who helped them.
The key to this whole exercise is control of Africa, which in 1956 was still mainly owned by Britain and France. Libya had become an Italian colony way back in 1911. Now, Africa’s union is posing a threat. African nations are asserting their independence, and developing ties with China. NATO wants to control Africa through the United States African Command (AFRICOM) and European Command (EUCOM) – all synonyms for the Pentagon. This is where Libya enters, in rejecting AFRICOM, with Sudan, Eritrea, Zimbabwe and the Ivory Coast. These countries are to be subdued for not allowing US bases.
The Libyan action may put Africa on fire. Watch Turkey and Africans mediating, Libya eventually democratizing and Gaddafi stepping down to an honorary position, but staying in the country. Of course, Benghazi has rejected this, as has the NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who wants Gaddafi in the International Criminal Court.
Brutal attack by imperialism forces on Libya.
U.N. Security Council voted Thursday evening to impose a no-fly zone on Libya.
The resolution was approved with 10 votes, including those of the United States and the United Kingdom. There were no opposing votes on the 15-member council, but China, Russia, Germany, India and Brazil abstained.
On Saturday US and European military forces have bombarded Libya with cruise missiles and air attacks as part of a broad international effort to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone more than a month after the outbreak of an uprising against longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. French jets fired the first shots on Saturday in Operation Odyssey Dawn, the biggest international military intervention in the Arab world since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, destroying tanks and armored vehicles in eastern Libya.
They have even attacked on Tripoli, are there rebel and they require western security, actually the imperialist only want to control oil rich Libya, as previously they attacked on Iraq.
Defending his decision to attack rebel cities, Gaddafi told Obama,”Al-Qaeda is an armed organisation, passing through Algeria, Mauritaniaand Mali. What would you do if you found them controlling American cities with the power of weapons? What would you do, so I can follow your example.”
what is reply of Obama, they will not tell us.
On Sunday China, Russia and India has condemn air attack by western countries. Where were they when UNO SC passed resolution, they were abstain from voting. When they have already decided the fate of Libya, then why pretend now. Actually they all are partner of imperialism. Even China and Russia have veto power, who prevented them to use it, we all now the real situation. But we the people are now on mercy of imperialism to live with them.
Why do we have the Security Council, the veto, the anti-veto, the majority, the minority, abstention, speeches, demagoguery and the solemn declarations of Ban Ki-moon?
Above all, why do we have NATO, its 5.5 million soldiers (according to highly qualified specialists) and its 19,845 tanks, 57,938 armored vehicles, 6,492 fighter jets, 2,482 helicopters, 19 aircraft carriers, 156 submarines, 303 surface vessels, 5,728 nuclear missiles, tens of thousands of atomic bombs with the destructive power equivalent to hundreds of thousand times the capacity of those dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
An honest person we shall always be against any injustice being committed against any people in the world, and the worst of all, at this moment, we should not have to remain silent at present. USA and NATO has committed a crime not only against the Libyan people but also against human society and people and time will teach the lesson to them.
I had written above note on20.3.11
Sheep
Libyan and Bahrain situation and role of imperialism at critical juncture, what is your anticipation?
by Bhupat Shoot on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bahrain situation.
Manama: Bahrain declared martial law on Tuesday as it struggles to quell an uprising by the island’s Shia Muslim majority that has drawn in troops from fellow Sunni ruled neighbor Saudi Arabia. The three-month state of emergency will hand wholesale power to Bahrain’s security forces, which are dominated by the country’s Sunni Muslim elite, stoking sectarian tensions in one of the Gulf ’s most politically volatile nations.
In a sign of continued disturbances in the tiny kingdom, an opposition politician said a Bahraini man was killed and several wounded in clashes with police in the Shia area of Sitra.
State television said a Bahraini policeman was also killed in clashes, refuting some reports that a Saudi soldier had died.
The United States, a close ally of both Bahrain and Saudi, said it was concerned about reports of growing sectarianism in the country, which is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and warned that violence from any side would make matters worse. “One thing is clear: there is no military solution to the problems in Bahrain,” White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
“A political solution is necessary and all sides must now work to produce a dialogue that addresses the needs of all of Bahrain’s citizens,” he added, speaking in Washington. As reported by REUTERS.
Here USA led ruling regime of Saudi Arabia’s army is backing the present ruler and against the rebel, what a wasted interest of imperialism?
Libyan situation.
France, Britain and the United States have pressed for a UN Security Council vote on Thursday on a no fly zone to halt Muammar Gaddafi’s attacks on rebels.
While China, Russia, Germany and other members of the 15-member council have expressed opposition or doubts about military action in Libya, the United States said that even stronger measures than a no-fly zone may be needed
US ambassador Susan Rice told
“fully focused on the urgency and the gravity of the situation on the ground, and it’s my hope that we may be in a position to vote a serious resolution as early as tomorrow. We’re working very hard toward that end.
“We need to be prepared to contemplate steps that include, but perhaps go beyond, a no-fly zone at this point, as the situation on the ground has evolved, and as a no-fly zone has inherent limitations in terms of protection of civilians at immediate risk.”
Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler said that Rice’s call for “a resolution that should go beyond a no-fly zone, is something that we haven’t heard before.
“We are hearing from diplomatic sources that change came overnight on Tuesday when an initial draft resolution presented and discussed yesterday afternoon.
“She came into the discussions today [Wednesday] with a different point of view. And that was yes to no-fly zone and even a step further beyond a no-fly zone.”
Final talks will be held before a vote and the draft could still be changed, diplomats from the three countries acknowledged.
Pressure on the council mounted as Libya’s deputy UN envoy, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who has turned against Gaddafi, said “the international community has to act within the next 10 hours.” On the other hand Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, predicted in an interview with the Euronews channel that the rebellion would be over in 48 hours. So there is hurry on the part of UNO, USA and its ally.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier on Wednesday urged all sides in Libya to accept an immediate cease-fire.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said Ban “is gravely concerned about the increasing military escalation by government forces, which include indications of an assault on the city of Benghazi.”
On the grounds, the Libyan army told people in Benghazi to leave opposition-held locations and arms storage areas.
A text on the screen of Al-Libya television addressed people in the eastern city, saying the army was coming “to support you and to cleanse your city from armed gangs”. As reported by aljazeera
Here USA backed by UNO, European Union and Arab league are planning “a resolution that should go beyond a no-fly zone, is something that we haven’t heard before” against led ruling regime of Libya and backing the rebels, what a wasted interest of imperialism?
see the two faces of imperialism, if even you doubt.
Libyan crises and Imperialism.
by Bhupat Shoot on Sunday, March 6, 2011
Crises in Libya and people uprising there is different from West Asia. There are people who have flag in hand that is of Monarchy, King Idris, a former ruler who was overthrown by Gaddafi and socialist party.When Gaddafi come into power, he nationalized all the property including imperialist state. People were much rich and reached even high standard of life of many west countries. Thereafter after USSR Merger with capitalism, USA attack on libya and Gaddafi’s house, that time his daughter was killed. Now he was aware of the situation that there no more USSR and instead of struggling against USA its allay, he has chosen to compromising situation by allowing privatization and inviting MNC’s of Capitalist states. By adopting capitalist way of economy Libya invited unemployment. That is the situation where in neighborhood of them have popular wave against existing ruler, why people to tolerate the unemployment. Let us see historical perceptive in the background:
After merger of USSR with greater capitalism, the vacuum can not be filled up by the exploiting class in a few times, because USSR and 1917 great revolution contributed such a kind of values which are not to be erupted in few years. Now in these days Mon-culture and Unipolar Hegemony of Imperialism developed.Imperialism, at this present era, has reached at the stage where its character become hyper and chronic capitalism, the face of it is being seen as greedy and inhumane behavior and tricky.At the presence of USSR and having alternative social order, hyper and chronic character were not possible, due to fear of emergence and development of social order, the imperialism has created and protected those detector rulers who were in favor of their interest. Middle east were most favorable nations, even having monarchy system. All of these nation were safety block for capitalist sates. Masses of these countries,due to historical background were not to able to got awoke and develop alternate social ideology. Dictator of MFN got Umbrella of imperialism and exploited the people, created huge private property which were transfer to these countries capitalist states. On the other hand people were not only exploited by only these rulers but also capitalist states through their regional capitalist corporation.
continue………….above comments………All the third world people were most sufferer, because they created their oil cartel for safety of rich natural resources and decided and controlled the oil price, although capitalist states were against the cartel, but what could they do? why they compromised? These capitalist states compromised the situation on the realization that if they would adopted hard line against OPEC, then there were more risk that these dictators would inclined towards social block (National Capitalist states) having lost of other interests, i.e. Arms market, capital investment, consumer market and capital inflow of black many of these dictator and other partner of national capitalists, They compromised for the sake of their own interests. Situation turned favorable for imperialism when USSR merger-ed with imperialism, now all the arms, equipments including nuclear and other dangerous weapons of socialist block (nation capitalist states) are of imperialist weapons, Oh, what a kind of gift and contribution to imperialism by the national capitalist states; what a tragedy that socialist people efforts were culminated in the end to ultimately serving for imperialism task, may they were not aware of such a reality (there were remain the main contradiction of capitalist society). Providing gifts of nuclear weapons in the hand of imperialism, what a tribute, memory and contribution of 200 million Red Army comrades sacrificed in World War II were remembered in such a way, we could not imagined.
Remember that there are 2 classes of the society, if exploiter classes became stronger than exploiting classes became weaker.
Condition the imperialism got, after having without alternative social order before exploiting classes, stronger through hyper and chronic capitalism stages. Now a days Mon-culture and Unipolar Hegemony of Imperialism has been developed, no one is in a situation to stop them. Due to internal and inheritance character, they are facing recession and the ways they developed is to exploit the masses of third world and oil countries.
Imperialism want to fill up the vacuum by dismantling the present system as far early and quick as possible; creating, increasing and developing the opportunities in favorable situation to intervene the internal affair of any country in achieving their task of in priorities. languages, from the inception of colonial period, is also one of the main tools in the handed of these states and new role of New technology and Media, those are also based on these languages,are become regressive tools to destabilize the other states as as well as to exploit the masses of other countries.
The allays, of those By-Polar world, are no longer remain as allay and they are now not to be treated as allay,Imperialism in this period wants more freedom to exploit the masses and and to freely extract to rich oil resources.
Main target and task before them are their own Middle-East Gulf Countries, because not only these are having abundant oil resources, but also they have assets and money of these countries, their dictator rulers and national capitalist partners already stored in safe heaven. (deposited in the banks of imperialist countries and assets ) These countries are fertile to fuel the masses through so called democratic way,rulers of these middle east and gulf countries are more or less remain having character authoritarian in nature. They are easily being unestablished, as imperialist states know the weaknesses, as they were and still now remain their allay can therefore be dismantled (we saw the fate of iraq and Saddam, what happen is oil resources and market have been captured on the cost of 2 lakh peoples of Iraqi, USA and its allays attacked and still holding the country, what they are doing is providing security and safety to oil corporations and Puppet rulers, Where were UNO at the time false allegations against Iraq and military attack? They were in favor of imperialism to attack on Iraq.We the people of the world were given reasons that Iraq has nuclear and hazardous weapons, but what was result, there were no such weapons and after so many years what is USA doing there? ) and to be replaced a puppet ruler,those are more inclined towards them. Where were UNO at the time false allegations against Iraq and military attack? They were in favor of imperialism to attack on Iraq.We the people of the world were given reasons that Iraq has nuclear and hazardous weapons, but what was result, there were no such weapons and after so many years What is USA doing there? what is doing USA Military in japan and south Korea? If these countries may invite USA, then why any other country like Libya, as a sovereign state will not call other country for their security created by imperialism and its agency CIA.
Now, How a independent country can not own nuclear weapons, while all the UNO Security council members are availing such privileged and enjoying hegemony on the world.
we can easily analyze recent peoples uprising in Middle East, looking into the previous perception and events hi through though we saw , now we can reach conclusion is that this is hyper and chronic capitalism stage of imperialism, which is not only dismantling all the so called democratic norms, conduct and behavior of present society. All the world institutions, created by historical development of society, are at the stake and on the mercy of inhumane and uncivilized imperialist forces. UNO and its organizations are used by them. Re cents happening gulf countries, in planned manner, showed that quickly and easily OPEC will be controlled by imperialism in near future and oil prices will be decided by them. More or less Libyan Gaddafi and Venezuelan Hugo Chavez are the main hurdle remain so far. But,latest events are that Imperialism have even adopted stun, hard and quick action on Libya, while previously they were creator and protector of Gaddafi. But Gaddafi not remain in favor of USA at the end, as like that of Saddam, and turned toward chevaz side, both are targeted countries of USA, but where just opportunity, now there is Libya. First, USA made economic and other sanctions. Second, unanimously including China (china is not socialist or communist country it is Capitalist state and become partner of imperialism) UNO SC passed resolution for cease of assets and sanctions. Third, Britain threatening for attack on Libya. Now what remaining are filled by the imperialist forces that they are with the Libyan people and if Libya attack through air strike on the rebels,they will attack on Libya; what a tragedy that a independent country have no right to fight against rebels and on the other hand a any one other country may invade the sovereign state to help the rebels of these countries, who are the imperialist to have right to intervene the internal affair of any country.
Is it was possible in the presence of USSR Period/era. people are still remembering Cuba crises: A By-polar balanced world.
what is doing USA Military in japan and south Korea?
Masses be alert & united against unipolar & monoculture imperialist society : Alternate is relative and integrated freedom based society: Bhupat shoot
Nobody is listening to the garbage you have posted… Why would you ever take the time to type all of that to no avail. You are a sub par reporter with nothing but theory and false insight. You are a fool. Just stop. Bhupat shoot you are an ass. Give it up nobody cares about what you have written. I hope for everyone’s sake you have moved on to do other things. Writing is not your strongest asset. #endBhupatshoot
“But then he became a victim of his own success – a dictator seeing himself as indispensable.” Maybe, like Tito in Yugoslavia he is indispensable. In both cases the Americans were always waiting in the wings.
786:
I THINK IT IS HIGH TIME WE START THINKING ABOUT OVERHAULING THE STRUCTURE AND MANDATES OF UNO.
ABOUT 50 YEARS BACK A POET IN PAKISTAN HAD WRITTEN A POEM AND ONE COUPLET WAS LIKE THIS, IF I TRANSLATE IT IN ENGLISH :
” THE WORD “U” IN “UNO” MEANS “USA” , THE REST IS ONLY “NO” “NO”. “