Public calls amongst top US officials to funnel weapons to the “Free Libya” movement that is on the verge of ousting long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi have once again been spurned by leaders of the protest movement, who insist that they are fully capable of liberating what little of the nation means under regime control on their own.
“We are against any foreign intervention or military intervention in our internal affairs,” insisted Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, a human rights lawyer and the spokesman for one of the protesters’ major organizations.
Other protesters hung a massive sign from the top of a building reading “NO Foreign Intervention – Libyan People Can Manage It Alone” and there is increasing concern that should NATO in general or the US in particular intervene, it would attempt to hand-pick portions of the protest movement it favors to take power.
The opposition to NATO meddling has come as something of a surprise to officials, who seemed to assume that such a move would be welcomed by the protest movement, and is forcing an embarrassing amount of backpedling from top officials who were insisting the intervention was virtually a done deal.
And indeed, despite major concerns about the Gadhafi regime continuing the massacres that were typical of the early days of the protest, it does seem like the protesters mostly have things in hand, and even the military leaders who joined the protest movement expressed surprise yesterday at how easily attacks by the regime’s mercenaries have been repelled.
"and there is increasing concern that should NATO in general or the US in particular intervene, it would attempt to hand-pick portions of the protest movement it favors to take power."
The money quote! Great job Jason!
It's time for the opposition and army defectors to finish this off NOW. If they continue to wait Gadhafi out, the Americans and their allies will intervene. However; I could be wrong here, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that even if they did get Gadhafi out by weeks end, the Amercian fleet headed to Libya won't be turning around. Yes, the USA is in this for the long haul I'm afraid, and they will stay until they have a government in Libya which'll toe Washington's line.
Once Gadhafi is gone, the Americans will simply find another phony pretext in which to intervene….
Just watch
B-b-but, if we don't invade, how can we get some sweet cruse war spoils to "pay for it"?
Why is this even an issue any longer? The Libyan street has spoken, and they DO NOT WANT FOREIGN TROOPS to get involved. Why must NATO (read: the US) continue to insist it has some nebulous 'responsibility' to protect the protesters when it's clear they have the upper hand and are defeating the pro-Gadhafi forces? True, they are taking losses but in spite of that they persist and continue to show their resolve to achieve regime change in their own way, by their own hands, without help from outsiders. I applaud the Libyans for resisting foreign intervention and make du'a for them in their struggle. May Allah(swt) bless them, bring them victory, and keep them from harm.
Empire of Robbers and Thieves seeking Quislings in every country rich in Natural Resources!
Resist Evil, Defend Dignity!
I don't think the ouster of Qaddafi is a sure thing at all, especially in the short term.
I think Libya is in for a long civil war.
I am highly impressed by the Libyan people's handling of this entire affair. I honestly think there is a better chance of creating a true democratic people's revolution in Libya than in Egypt. They are truly creating a new nation from the ground up! And, thanks ironically to Ghaddaffi's paranoid, autocratic 41 year rule, there is a weak body politic and virtually no powerful entrenched military or political institutions – either domestic or foreign – standing in the way of creating a new nation that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people. To the Libyan People's Revolution!
In fact, there has been no serious talk of arming rebels or, even less, attacking Libya in Europe. Cameron's musings may well have been designed, precisely, to elict rejection from Libyan groups, so that he could back off whlie appeasing the Tory "crazies", not least Liam Fox himself. The media have been reporting that Libyan opposition groups do not want foreign interference and the general belief is that any foreign intervention would be resisted by the entire population. The usual suspects in the Israel Lobby are, of course, hyping the possibility of an attack for their own obvious reasons but since it would be counter-productive, I don't think it will happen.
Today's news, Ghaddafi appears to be winning.
Apparently they don't need any graphic design assistance either. That's a pretty slick protest poster. Much better than the hand-written "Obama is a soshulist" ones you see in this country.
wonder what happens if the south exscuse me "the rebels nationalise the "exsclusive, private reserves,?
Very good sign: no foreign intervention wanted or needed. That means the protesters well know they don't want to exchange one dictator for another.
The eagerness of the U.S. (a/k/a Israel et al) to intervene is compatible with "the lady doth protest too much". Overkill, shooting oneself in the foot…the protesters are, after all, doing quite well on their own.
I only hope the protesters in Libya, after they've won, don't meet the same response Hamas did after it won the election in Gaza. Like free speech, we apparently don't tolerate democracy unless it conforms to our self-interest. And that is not "majority rule" deciding but the rule of special interest self-interest.
The people in Middle East and North African country have learned their lessons and they know if US or EU militarism regime are in their country then they never leave. Like Japan, Germany, Italy and etc. at the same time they don’t want to have a puppet regime established by EU or US, they are asking for their freedom and independence and willing to defend it by all means.
INSANITY rules the US – which truly needs a regime change. EVERYONE in the Obama Administraion – especially Hillary Clinton – EVERYONE in the Pentagon – and ALL in our Congress are INSANE!
The US is financially and morally bankrupt – the 'empire' is near its end – more 'intervention' will only accelerate the end of the US.
The West headed by the US are smelling oil. That’s the only motive they have for invading Lybia. Once there they won’t leave. The same will than happen as in Iraq, Lybia has to fight and oust the foreign invaders.
A Western sponsored invasion will infuriate the Arab world and will result in more unrest and wars. But perhaps that is exactly what the US, and don’ forget Israel want. Only wars will perpertuate Israel’s existence. So there are from a western perspective two motivations 1) oil and 2) continued wars and unrest so as to safeguard US/Israel’s continued hegemony in the ME
It seems Huffinton post is pushing war as usual, while posing as fake liberals. I can't even get a post through on that site that goes against the narrative of their main post, generally calling for invasion of Libya. Very few posts disagreeing with invading Libya are even allowed through and probably deleted later. They are saying the rebels are calling for for air strikers (I don't know where they got that from) because obviously the rebels don't want ANY foreign interference.
Apart from oil, the US/Israel fear peoples revolts. They are only interested in pseudo-democracies run by stooges who serve their interests. Invasion of Lybia by the West will mean another long and far worse and more costly in human lifes protracted struggle by the Lybian people to get rid of foreign domination as we have seen (and still see happening) in Iraq. But that may well be a motive. Israel can only exist and sustain its presence in the ME by continued war, which brings in the money and weaponary from the US at the expense of the American tax payer. Invasion will also infuriated the Arab masses round the ME.
With the resolve of the uprising, they are doing the jopb all by themselves, and should be left alone.
Interference by the US or the EU will in fact believe mean that those of the uprising will in fact attack the invading foreign Forces.
This is a Nationalistic uprising and it should be left for those of the Libyan Nationality to infact duke this one out themselves.
The ONLY job of the Foreign Forces is to make sure Gaddafi cannot get arms or other troops in.