Washington can’t seem to grasp a decline, that the rest of the world sees, in its once undisputed world power. It cannot keep its home in good repair, but it still acts as if it can make other nations bend to its will.
Was the NATO attack that killed 25 Pakistani soldiers an accident or an attempt to torpedo peace talks?
Many Afghans are angry at Pakistan for aiding the Taliban.
Not everyone is outraged by the NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
1982 Libya had a different feeling than the current world, but its memories shape a view of the current situation.
The NATO operations turned into another Western assault on another North African, Middle Eastern, Arab country. Discussion on Democracy Now!
Oil rich and deeply divided, the country is vulnerable to outside powers.
One legacy of attacking Libya is 20,000 surface-to-air missiles gone missing.
When the Cold War ended, many believed there would be a peace dividend, nuclear disarmament, and dismantling of the war machine with industrial conversion to peaceful technology. Instead, we’ve witnessed the aggressive expansion of NATO, to include the former Soviet Republics, right up to the Russian border, which should be a wake-up call to many living in the American Empire.
Libyan rebel forces have been rounding up black Libyans and sub-Saharan African migrant workers, accusing them of serving as “mercenaries” for Gaddafi.
Even if the president led the NATO coalition from behind, he led his country into war from practically another planet.
“The success of Libya’s uprising will have a great deal to do with the willingness of its leadership to break its dependency on the United States and NATO,” said Bennis in an article on Alternet. She asks, “whether events so far are ultimately a victory for the Libyan people, or for NATO. Given recent models of U.S. and NATO involvement in overthrowing dictatorships, we don’t have a lot of examples of how it can be both.”
The complications of the Libyan Summer, and the consequences of the militarization of its struggle, leave unanswered the question of whether events so far are ultimately a victory for the Libyan people, or for NATO.
The success of Libya’s uprising will have a great deal to do with the willingness of its leadership to break its dependency on the United States and NATO.
Major national organizations call for ceasefire in Libya, de-funding of U.S. military and intelligence operations. They call for an internationally-led ceasefire and negotiations between the warring parties, generous humanitarian assistance, and a strict arms embargo.