What's Next for Libya? Libya's
Disintegrating In Chaos And Violence
23 April 2012By
Stephen Lendman
NATO's "responsibility to protect" (R2P) was
subterfuge to wage war. Months of terror bombing left
Libya a charnel house.
Africa's most developed country was ravaged, not
liberated. Protracted struggle continues. Expect it to
persist for years.
When is war not war? It's when mass killing and
destruction are called the right thing. It's also when
terrorizing and traumatizing an entire population
continues unaddressed.
Libya was developed and peaceful until NATO
intervened. It arrived on cruise missiles, bombs,
shells, other munitions, depleted and enriched
uranium, other terror weapons, fifth column
infiltrators, and media scoundrel complicity, as well
as coverup and denial.
No nation or alliance may interfere in the internal
affairs of another except in self-defense if attacked.
NATO R2P authority was Trojan Horse deception. Crimes
of war and against humanity followed. They continue
out-of-control.
NATO's still involved. Thousands of US forces guard
key oil facilities, ports, and perhaps other strategic
sites. Occasional air attacks occur. NATO warships
occupy Libya's ports. US, Italian, French, and perhaps
other forces are involved. January reports from
Misrata said Apache helicopters slaughtered rebels
trying to scale Brega oil platforms.
Insurgents battle each other and Green Resistance for
control. Frequent clashes leave rivals and civilians
dead or injured. Militias control local areas and
neighborhoods. Thousands of Gaddafi loyalists and
Black African guest workers were murdered or held
captive and tortured. Dark-skinned Libyans and guest
workers are especially threatened.
On October 23, Obama duplicitously "congratulated the
people of Libya on today's declaration of liberation.
After four decades of brutal dictatorship and eight
months of deadly conflict, the Libyan people can now
celebrate their freedom and the beginning of a new era
of promise."
He's a frontman for power. He's an inveterate liar and
war criminal multiple times over. He added another
imperial trophy to colonize, plunder and exploit.
Keeping it's another matter. Libya's one of history's
great crime. Green Resistance struggles to restore
Jamahiriya rule.
Obama matched the worst of Bush and exceeded him.
Libyans, Afghans, Iraqis, and Syrians revile him. So
do millions of others for good reason. Hopefully one
day they'll have the last word.
Liberation never comes easily or quickly. For sure,
it's worth protracted struggle to achieve, no matter
the cost.
Gaddafi was no coward or quitter. Neither are Libyans
and others throughout North Africa, the Middle East,
and Central Asia.
Their liberating struggle won't end until America's
imperial scourge ends, and NATO's consigned to the
dustbin of history. Humanity depends on it.
NATO's sole new millennium accomplishment consists of
endless unwinnable wars. Coalition partners eventually
tire and pull out.
America may end up isolated. It excels in making
enemies and losing friends.
The battle for Iraq continues. Afghanistan's war was
lost years ago. Libya's also though political
Washington, coalition partners, media scoundrels, and
NATO won't admit it.
The alliance wages lawless imperial aggression against
nonbelligerent countries. Yugoslavia was first, then
Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
Daily terror bombings massacred tens of thousands of
Libyans. Insurgent gangs continue committing shocking
atrocities. Libya's revolutionary struggle won't end
until Green Resistance purges them eliminates NATO's
control.
Gaddafi's murder investigation was whitewashed.
Killers don't judge themselves guilty.
In mid-February, a UN News Centre release
"welcomed....Libya's new electoral authorities." It
urged "free elections" be held as soon as possible.
On February 12, members of Libya's so-called Higher
National Electoral Commission (HNEC) were sworn in
days after National Transitional Council (NTC)
officials adopted electoral laws to choose National
Congress members. A 200-member constituent assembly is
planned.
The Jamahiriya News Agency (JANA) quoted HNEC's Othman
al-Kajiji saying last week in June "elections will be
held on schedule as set by the constitutional
declaration."
So-called elections install powerless puppets
subservient to Washington, Britain, France, and other
rogue NATO partners. Free Libya won't exist until
loyalists regain it.
Last September, Security Council Resolution 2009
established a UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Its mandate belies its mission.
Allegedly it's tasked to "restor(e) public security
and the rule of law, promot(e) inclusive political
dialogue and national reconciliation, and (help) the (NTC)
embark on the drafting of a new constitution and on
laying the foundation for new elections."
In fact, it's part of NATO's imperial occupation. UN
Special Representative for Libya's Ian Martin heads
it. He's Ban Ki-moon's Post-Conflict for Libya Special
Advisor. He serves Washington and other NATO allies,
not Libyans.
They face enormous challenges to overcome. They
include imperial occupation, destabilization,
divisiveness, and violence ravaging the country. Media
scoundrels report nothing. Libyans fear what's next.
Insurgents battle for local control. Death squads
eliminate rivals and other targeted victims. Tawergha
residents were terrorized last year. Their nightmare
continues.
Thousands were killed or exiled to refugee camps.
Raids continue. Arrests, torture and deaths result.
Human rights atrocities are horrific. Other areas are
targeted. Libya's a raging cauldron. No central
control exists.
NATO intends the same fate for Syria and elsewhere.
Installing Western puppets is planned. In Libya, they
got more than they bargained for. The same holds for
Afghanistan and Iraq. Nonetheless, conflicts and
violence continue. With more planned, the entire
region's threatened.
Libya was ravaged and destroyed. Tens of thousands
were killed, many more injured and displaced.
Violence, fear and poverty replaced Gaddafi's social
state. No wonder most Libyans supported him. No wonder
they revile NATO.
The alliance hailed a successful mission accomplished.
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called the war an
"inspiring revolution." He added that Washington
helped "creat(e) a unique alliance against tyranny and
for freedom."
Libyans know otherwise. Daily terror replaced peace
and calm. None of it shows signs of ending. No one
knows who's next to die. Everyone suffers. Kafkaesque
reality plagues the country. Few doubt who's
responsible.
In February 2011, the UN Human Rights Council
established the International Commission of Inquiry on
Libya. In March 2012, it reported crimes of war and
against humanity committed by both sides.
It said insurgents "committed serious violations,
including war crimes and breaches of international
human rights law, the latter continuing at the time of
the present report. The Commission found these
violations to include unlawful killing, arbitrary
arrest, torture, enforced disappearance,
indiscriminate attacks, and pillage."
It didn't address horrific NATO war crimes. Instead it
said participating nations "conducted a highly precise
campaign with a demonstrable determination to avoid
civilian casualties." It added that further
investigations are recommended to evaluate its
effectiveness.
Thousands of bombing missions reigned death and
destruction for months. Civilians were willfully
targeted. Western and Qatari Special Forces aided
insurgent violence. Coverup and denial whitewash NATO
crimes. Washington orchestrated and directed them.
Gaddafi's Libya no longer exists.
On January 21, Press TV cited the London-based
pan-Arab daily Asharq Alawsat saying Washington sent
12,000 soldiers to Libya. They landed in Brega. They
came to control key oil fields, facilities and ports.
A Final Comment
Wherever NATO intervenes, death, destruction, and
human misery follow. Libya's disintegrating in chaos
and violence. Tribes and rebel gangs battle for
dominance. NTC control's impossible. A new
semi-autonomous Cyrenaica region was declared. It
extends from Sirte to Egypt's border. It holds about
two-thirds of Libya's oil.
Oil rich Fezzan region also seeks independence.
Tripolitania remains. Its own oil fields lie close to
Tripoli. Syrian insurgents are being trained there.
Last year, some observers predicted balkanization. In
early March, factional Eastern leaders discussed
recognizing Tripoli as Libya's political capital and
Benghazi its financial one - sort of like a
Washington/New York division.
Given ongoing violence, instability and lawlessness,
perhaps June elections won't happen as planned.
Establishing legitimate rule's impossible. Restoring
peace and calm won't happen soon. It may take many
years to accomplish.
Dozens of insurgent factions remain heavily armed.
Operating independently, they won't integrate into a
national army. Clashes continue across mostly Northern
areas. Thousands of Gaddafi supporters languish in
prisons.
Green Resistance fighters struggle for freedom. So do
major tribes against puppet governance. Libya's so
violent, dysfunctional, and unstable, neighboring
countries are threatened.
Mali's late March military coup appears fallout from
Libya. It may be replicated elsewhere in North Africa
and perhaps beyond. Niger's also endangered. There's
more involved than meets the eye, including
controlling regional resources. Besides oil, Libya,
Mali, and Niger have valuable uranium deposits.
Washington seeks control.
America and the IMF are involved in Nigerian violence.
Western oil giants largely control its oil. However,
China made inroads with exploration and infrastructure
deals. It wants more. That puts Beijing at odds with
Washington and other Western interests.
Currency wars are also at issue. Nigeria's foreign
reserves are 80% in dollars. The rest are in euros and
Sterling. Russia, China, India, Iran, and other
countries increasingly want less dollar dependence.
Moving away enough threatens it as the dominant world
reserve currency. Washington's determined to prevent
it. Succeeding's another matter.
The more China becomes
a major Nigeria player, the less dominant dollars in
the country become. Destabilizing violence may be
involved to prevent it. It's too early to know for
sure but bears watching.
At issue is controlling North Africa, the Middle East,
and Central Asia. Washington seeks global dominance,
especially over resource rich areas. Independence and
freedom depend on preventing it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is
titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War" http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html 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.
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