Translated from war reporter Arnold Karskens’ report in Dutch daily De Pers today:
They don’t believe it in TripoliPublished: Today 6:12
Update: Today 6:40Grief and cheers alternate in the Libyan capital. Operation Odyssey Dawn seems far from over.
Three-months-old Seham was laying in her crib when a missile hit. “A loud bang and the wall fell over her, ” says a heartbroken father Farag at the cemetery of the martyrs Shat Alhanshir near the beach in Tripoli. She was his third child. Two sons survived the crash in the district Tajoura, near an army base.
The little corpse itself is not visible, but around the fresh graves thousands are chanting that Gaddafi should hit back U.S. President Barack Obama. After the prayer, three civilians and 23 soldiers are buried. Gunshots are heard. Disapprovingly, clerical worker Salah el Hamroni (43) shakes his head about the violence that affects his country: “You cannot create democracy in this way.”
Israeli blogger Reuven Kaminer on the Libyan war: here.
British blog Lenin’s Tomb on the Libyan war: here.
Michael Lind: “There is no doubt that U.S. participation in the attack on Libya is completely unconstitutional”: here.
VoteVets.org, the largest progressive veterans group in America, is releasing a statement that lays out why the group cannot support military operations in Libya launched by the Obama administration over the weekend. The group’s chair said that there were far too many unanswered questions, and raised concern that operations took place without Congressional approval: here.
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich suggests President Obama should be impeached over Libya attack – TPM: here.
US’s most outspoken congressman on issues of war & peace calls for congressional action to defund undeclared Libya war: here.
Robert Naiman, Truthout: “The US is now at war in a third Muslim country, according to the ‘official tally’ (that is, counting Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, but not Pakistan or Yemen, for example.) But Congress has never authorized or debated the US military intervention in Libya. (A sharply disputed claim holds that the Pakistan and Yemen actions are covered by the 2001 authorization of military force, but no one has dared to argue that the 2001 authorization to use military force covers Libya.) Some will no doubt claim that the president is acting in Libya within his authority as commander in chief. But this is an extremely dangerous claim”: here.
The bombs of the U.S. and its allies are never used to save lives or bring justice: here.
The African Union (AU) has urged the United States, France and Britain to “immediately stop” military aggression against Libya: here.
Britain: Stop The War convener Lindsey German declared today that the phalanx of Labour MPs who voted in favour of the Libyan war should be “absolutely ashamed” of themselves; here.
The government refused to rule out deploying British troops to Libya today, claiming a distinction between occupation and intervention: here.
Britain: Libya conflict: MPs voice unease over military action: here.
Media and the Libyan war: here.
Civilians will bear the brunt of the the US-EU war on Libya, the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper warned today: here.
Why we shouldn’t invade Libya: here.
Why is US backing force in Libya but not Bahrain and Yemen? Here.
Donald Trump took Qaddafi’s money: here.
Gaddafi regime fed names of jihadists to the CIA and to Britain; Australian: here.
Libya War: U.S. F-15 Military Plane Crashes, Two Crew Members Ejected: here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/libya-war-partition-military-action
Libya and the suspicious rush to war
After many more deaths we are likely to see the partition of Libya – why has there been such a consensus for this military action?
Jeremy Corbyn
guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 March 2011 15.05 GMT
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“The most likely outcome of this ghastly period is many more deaths, the long-term effects of depleted uranium (if it is being used), and the partition of Libya.”
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The House of Commons is debating the government stance on UN resolution 1973, having been invited to give its approval or withhold it. It’s a bit late, as the prime minister made a statement to the Commons on Friday and within 24 hours the bombing had started. We are presented with a fait accompli.
The debate, however, takes place against a background of growing concerns about the nature of the military operation, the intensity of the air strikes, the implications for the whole region, and the real motive behind the Arab League in calling for this in the first place. India is the first country to publicly call for a cessation of air strikes. Others are likely to follow.
UN security council resolution 1973 was heavily trailed as a no-fly-zone resolution. Like most UN resolutions it is very long. It specifically welcomed the appointment of the UN special envoy Abdel-Elah Mohamed Al-Khatib and in its proposals under chapter 7 of the UN charter (mandatory for all member states) demanded a ceasefire, stressed the need to find a solution to the conflict through the UN special envoy, and demanded that the Libyan authorities fulfil their international obligations under humanitarian law.
It’s not until one reaches point 6 of the resolution that the no-fly zone is mentioned, and even then it requests the secretary general to inform the security council of any actions taken in support of the no-fly zone. The rest of the resolution talks of the arms embargo, the asset freeze and the appointment of a panel of experts to consider the operation of this resolution and the implications for international law. The attacks on Libya take place with no assurance that depleted uranium weapons will be banned from the operation and come only a few weeks after Britain stopped trading with Libya and training Libyan security officials.
I welcome the popular demands all across the region, including Libya, for accountable government and an economic strategy that provides full employment for the burgeoning young populations. But abuses of human rights by Gaddafi’s government didn’t start three weeks ago, as any one of the Libyan opposition will attest, and a blind eye was turned to this when Libya said it was no longer developing weapons of mass destruction and British oil companies were encouraged by Tony Blair to strike long-term agreements.
The most likely outcome of this ghastly period is many more deaths, the long-term effects of depleted uranium (if it is being used), and the partition of Libya. With this strategy it is quite conceivable that the east of Libya will be partitioned into a client state centred upon Benghazi, and the west will be a pariah state led by Gaddafi.
One can’t help but be struck by the rush to military involvement by politicians of all countries and all persuasions. The contrast with the western treatment of the rest of the region could not be more stark. The Palestinian people have lived with occupation for 60 years, well over 1,000 died in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, settlements abound and Israel possesses nuclear weapons. I can’t remember anyone calling for a no-fly zone in Gaza in winter 2008-09 when phosphorous bombs were used against a largely unarmed and defenceless civilian population.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest oil exporter, and the biggest importer of arms from Britain and other countries. The importance of Saudi Arabia to western economic interests cannot be overstated, otherwise why would Blair take such an extraordinary decision as to suspend the Serious Fraud Office investigation into the BAE contracts with Saudi Arabia? Britain is up to its neck in supporting the Saudi monarchy with all the denial of human rights and aggression that the regime has shown toward its opponents. Saudi armed forces have crossed into Yemen in recent times, and last week entered Bahrain to support the king in his suppression of democratic protest.
News today of huge demonstrations and growing isolation of the Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, looks like almost a replay of what happened in Tunisia. I asked a young activist in Tunis just a few weeks ago if their revolution was asking for western help, his reply was: “No, we will do it ourselves; the problem with the west is, it never knows when to leave.”
STOP THE U.S. WAR AGAINST LIBYA AND BAHRAIN!
The International Action Center calls on all anti-war and social justice activists to call Emergency Response STOP THE U.S. WAR AGAINST LIBYA AND BAHRAIN actions in their areas on Friday, March 18 or Saturday, Marcy 19, or to mobilize support for any already existing anti-war demonstrations called to mark the anniversary of the Iraq War, with this statement and signs to STOP THE U.S. WAR AGAINST LIBYA AND BAHRAIN, as well as to intensify the mobilization for the April 9th and 10th Anti-War demonstrations in New York and San Francisco called by the United National Antiwar Committee.
On March 17, 2011, Washington showed its true intentions by pushing through a U.N. Security Council resolution that amounts to a declaration of war on the government and people of Libya.
A U.S. attack is the worst possible thing that could happen to the people of Libya. It also puts the unfolding Arab revolutions, which have inspired people across North Africa and Western Asia, in the gravest danger.
The resolution goes beyond a no-fly zone. It includes language saying U.N. member states could “take all necessary measures” … “by halting attacks by air, land and sea forces under the control of the Gadhafi regime.”(CNN.com, Mar 17)
The new resolution not only calls for attacks on Libyan aircraft and air defenses, but authorizes the strafing and bombing of ground forces as well. The U.S. and French governments immediately announced that they were ready to go. Britain and Italy are aiding. In essence the former colonial powers have begun an armed attack on the Libyan government and its people, backing one side of a civil war.
No matter how one feels about Libya today and the role of the Gadhafi government; regardless of how one evaluates the Libyan opposition, a U.S.-led war or intervention in Libya is a disaster for the Libyan people, and for peace and progress around the world.
BAHRAIN EXPOSES THE LIE ABOUT “PREVENTING ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS”
The U.S. and its allies are repeating over and over the lie that they are trying to “prevent attacks on civilians” and are acting from humanitarian motives. But nobody should be fooled. Consider these “humanitarians” and how they react to Bahrain.
The U.S. Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, which is an absolute monarchy. Its people have been valiantly trying to change their government for weeks. They had some initial success. The king responded with deadly repression and later with hints at reform.
On March 14, however, hours after Secretary of Defense Gates visited Bahrain, the Bahraini government commenced a brutal crackdown, backed up by Saudi Arabian troops. Helicopters, tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition were used, killing and injuring many people. Nearly all of Bahrain’s security forces are foreign mercenaries.
Unlike the Libyan rebels, the Bahraini people have absolutely no arms. But there has been no talk of a no-fly zone over Bahrain, let alone attacks on the murderous Bahraini and Saudi armies.
NO BLOOD FOR OIL
This is because the real motivation for the U.S. and its allies in both Bahrain and Libya, and indeed the whole region, is to control the OIL! It is Washington’s main strategic interest and a primary financial interest for U.S. big business.
This is true even though the U.S. is not directly dependent on imported oil from Libya. Oil is a worldwide commodity, and any country which imports oil must deal with a world market, no matter from which individual country or countries they import the oil.
Of even more importance to the U.S. and Europeans is who controls the flow of oil. A military presence or a reliable puppet in Libya would give Washington –and to a lesser extent the European imperialists — control of the oil spigot to Europe and also establish a military presence in North Africa from which to influence or prevent the development of the revolutions, especially in Egypt and Tunisia.
ARAB LEAGUE “VOTE” FRAUD
Not only a demonization campaign against the Libyan leader, but every form of fraud and propaganda is being used to push for this intervention, including a supposed “vote” by the Arab League supporting the latest U.N. resolution. Left unsaid is the fact that only 11 of the 22 members of the League even attended the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. Two of these 11 attending members, Syria and Algeria, made clear that they were completely opposed to military intervention in Libya.
Meanwhile the corporate media has ignored a resolution by the African Union, representing 53 countries, which adamantly rejected a no-fly zone or other intervention.
WHAT ABOUT GAZA?
The U. S. blocked any UN action, even a toothless resolution, during the massive Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2008 and also during the Israeli bombing and attempted invasion of Lebanon in 2006, as well as the continued bombardment of Gaza as recently as this week!.
It is important that peace-loving and progressive people around the world develop a consistent approach opposing ALL U.S. intervention. This is the only way to avoid becoming just an echo of the U.S. State Department and Pentagon.
U.S., French, British, Italian hands off Libya!
NO to the U.S. supported attack on the people’s movement of Bahrain!
U.S. Out of Arab and African Lands!
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