It is a real shame, as in, we should be ashamed, to have ever sanctioned anything that the despot Muammar el-Qaddafi has done. There is nothing that George W. Bush ever said about Saddam Husain that can not be said of this tyrant; Saddam/Qaddafi might as well be the same person. Yet, if we learned anything from the nightmare mistake of going into Iraq, besides the fact that grudges and oil are no excuse for waging war, it is that we cannot continue to support despotic regimes in the name of economic interests. War is difficult even for the noblest of reasons, but unlike Bush's decision to enter Iraq, which was among the worst moves the United States has ever made, Obama understood that assuming the lead when it came to Libya would have been more than we could bear. Of course the Republicans would disagree with me, which is comforting.
But Libya is a double-edged issue because we helped Qaddafi, who is dangerous, delusional, and without even the modicum of grace that Mubarak displayed by stepping down when his people took to the streets to be counted. But the Arab Spring is a different story in Libya. Qaddafi has sworn to keep killing and to disrespect his people and the world at large, even from wherever he is hiding. As of this writing, Algeria has accepted his relatives, including his second wife and three of his children. When all is said and done, when the despot is captured or killed and the people can take a deep breath, much will need to be done to rebuild the country, physically, politically, and emotionally.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon sought swift approval of Libya’s civilian mission. On September 2nd, the Secretary-General requested that the Security Council take "prompt action" to set up a civilian mission to Libya. Leaders and envoys from 60 countries were attending a conference in Paris at the time and determined that the UN should take the lead in assisting the Libyan National Transitional Council. Panos Moumtzis, UN humanitarian coordinator for Libya, has said that, “Six months of civil war have critically depleted sources of drinking water, food, fuel and medicine.”
How We Can Help:
- Ask President Obama to explore new peaceful ways of supporting protesters through the UN and thank him for trying to redefine our approach to the human rights disaster that is going on.
- As with other places in the Middle East, keep an eye on this powder keg and its recovery.
- What role do you want the United States to take in the post conflict rebuilding?
- Read up on the issues and what various progressive organizations are saying.
- Decide how you think we should proceed
- What do you think would be the least & most we could do?
- Let us & let your elected representatives hear from you
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