What is so infuriating in the history of this hideous mission is the complete lack of remorse or shame at what has been accomplished. Just like Iraq and Afghanistan, there are no regrets: Imperialism -- especially humanitarian imperialism -- will never admit to its crimes. But it cant deny the facts, and for citizens attracted to the notion of responsibility to protect, the facts are important so that the next time this convenient principle is trotted out there will be more skepticism. The key facts? There was no mass rape ordered by Gadhafi, a claim repeated many times by Hillary Clinton (and eventually refuted by Amnesty International, the UN and even the U.S. Army). There was no bombing of protesters (a fact admitted to by the CIAs Robert Gates). There was no plan for a massacre in Benghazi. Gadhafi offered amnesty to any insurgents who laid down their arms -- in contrast the no mercy theme played by the Western powers. All of these facts are to be found in Slouching Towards Sirte: NATOs War on Libya and Africa by Maximilian Forte.... The collateral damage done by our humanitarian liberation includes the regime (however repressive) that boasted Africas highest standard of living, a literacy rate above 90 per cent, the lowest infant mortality rate and the highest life expectancy of all of Africa, free medicare and education, and the highest Human Development Index of any country on the continent. All of this is now threatened. Neither Western politicians (including the NDP and Liberals in Canada) nor the Western media ever talked about these war facts and they never will... This is the state of democratic Libya -- a hideous Arab winter if ever there was one. As I recounted in an earlier column, it is crystal clear why Gadhafi was removed. And it wasnt just the oil. Gadhafi had been responsible more than any other African leader for creating independent institutions that challenged those of the West -- including an African communications satellite with low fees, the African Investment Bank, the African Monetary Fund and the African Central Bank. All of these latter institutions were a direct threat to Western financial capital....
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:58:40 +0000
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