BEYOND SATIRE
From the Stop the War website:-
‘The killing of Muammar Gadaffi in Sirte has been marked by a
round of celebration by western governments over their
intervention in Libya.
As with the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the killing of
Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, it will be described as a turning
point and a further victory in the seemingly endless 'war on
terror'.
There is little reason for the triumphal. Nato's war on Libya
was not a 'humanitarian intervention' but a war for regime change
-- illegal under international law. It was about the western
powers attempting to regain control of the region in the face of
the Arab uprisings across the Middle East.
Yet despite its overthrow of the regime in Libya imperialism
faces many problems in the region.
In Libya itself it is already clear that there are many divisions
between the different elements in the new government, and not at
all clear that a stable regime will emerge. Even if it does, the
ordinary people of Libya will see their interests subjugated to
the oil companies and other western business, backed up by Nato,
which has no intention of vacating the scene.
The consequences of the war on terror elsewhere are not outbreaks
of peace and democracy but rather a spreading of the war.
Afghanistan, ten years on, has just experienced its bloodiest two
years of war. Iraq remains a society destroyed by war and
occupation. Somalia remains war torn with Kenyan troops recently
crossing the border. Pakistan suffers drone attacks which have
killed thousands. The Israeli oppression of the Palestinians
continues. There are threats of intervention over Syria.
The recent alleged plot against the Saudi ambassador to
Washington was blamed on sections of the Iranian government and
Saudi and Israel are both urging attacks on Iran.
Far from the west conquering all, it is deep in the mire of war.
The gloating over Gadaffi should not become an excuse for further
interventions that will only spread the carnage further.’
Where to start with this sinister farrago of distortion, misrepresentation, conspiracy theory and downright nonsense, that is if I can make my self heard above the celebrations now taking place across Libya in celebration at having, with the support of NATO, liberated themselves from a disgusting tyrant, (celebrations omitted from the anonymous diatribe above).
Firstly I have heard no commentator link Gaddafi’s death to the so called ‘war on terror,’ a misnomer since if the conflict we are involved we are engaged in is with Islamacist fanatics with an ideology every bit as sinister as fascism. Moreover most of the responses I have read to Gaddafi’s death have been extremely sober and muted.
Our anonymous contributor gives away a little more than he realises with his constant repeat of words such as triumphalism, celebration and gloating.
'Afghanistan, ten years on, has just experienced its bloodiest two
years of war. Iraq remains a society destroyed by war and
occupation. Somalia remains war torn with Kenyan troops recently
crossing the border. Pakistan suffers drone attacks which have
killed thousands.'**
Terms perhaps a little closer to home than he realises, or thinks we might realise, though perhaps he* imagines we have lost our sense of smell. Now it may or may not be true that drone attacks have killed thousands, how many thousands have the Taliban and Al-Quada killed, why no mention of these victims of war?
As I say for the most part the response to Gaddafi’s death has been fairly muted; indeed I have been struck by the hand wringing and parading of consciences on behalf of the liberal left concerning the manner of his killing. What did they expect if he was captured by half trained civilian ‘soldiers’, people whom he had cowed and tortured for over forty years, in the middle of a fire fight. Of course it would have been better had he been captured and placed on trial, however, as I say, fat chance in the circumstances.
Now building civil society and the rule of law, let alone a thriving democracy in Libya, a country with no tradition of any of these things, will prove exceptionally challenging, however when you read lines such as these, -
‘ ………it is already clear that there are many divisions between the different elements in the new government, and not at all clear that a stable regime will emerge.’
Do you feel that the hand of comradely solidarity is being extended here? No, somehow something altogether uglier is at work, the sneering, perhaps we might even say ‘gloating,’ tone gives the game away.
Now given that the writer, one imagines, imagines himself as representing a radical left perspective it is amusing to read the following:-
‘Nato's war on Libya was not a 'humanitarian intervention' but a war for regime change - illegal under international law.’
Well leaving aside this dubious claim and the preposterous statement that we have been at war with Libya, which will come as something of a surprise to those currently celebrating in Benghazi and Tripoli, since when did the radical left become so punctilious about ‘the law?’ As I type this moves are being set in train, shamefully in my opinion, to get the occupation of the square in front of St Paul’s cathedral ruled illegal. I look forward to reading on the so called Stop the war Website condemnation of the squatters should the courts rule the occupation to be a breach of the law in this country.
The continued high pitched squealing against the intervention in Libya, an intervention that thwarted a massacre in Benghazi and the continued subjugation of the Libyan people, places the supporters of the STW coalition in the long tradition of those who opposed intervention in Spain and Ethiopia, saw Nazi treatment of its own citizens as non of our business and who would, like the communist party actually did at the time, have opposed our actual intervention on the side of Poland. Now of course what most sticks in the gullet of these people is the fact that the Libyan revolution was supported by the west in general and by NATO in particular, for those enjoying this particularly closed mindset western democracies can never be on the right side or act in good faith.
I could go on, but there comes a time when one tires of having to wade through this claptrap, designed to preach to the already brain dead. However there is a more sinister edge toward the end of this piece that places it beyond satire. I searched the Coalition website for any condemnation of Assad’s regime in Syria but there was non, Syria Iran’s ally. PeterTachell tells of Iranian opposition activists being asked to leave a Stop the War march. The tyranny in Iran must be shielded from criticism, which is always characterised as American/Western imperialism. Elements within the STW coalition are little more than apologists for the Iranian regime.
So lets finally be clear, not satisfied with lobbying to ensure that the Syrian opposition remains isolated, without external support, if these people had their way the following tyrannical thugs would still be in power, abusing, torturing and oppressing their own people. Sadam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic, The Taliban and Muammar Gaddafi, Kuwait would still be occupied, as would Bosnia, woman would still be being publicly beheaded in football stadiums in Afghanistan. What a proud record that would be to have, how very ‘left wing!’
*For the sake of convenience I have used he throughout, though of course the writer may indeed be a woman, men enjoying no particular monopoly of such mendacious stupidity.
** My italics.
‘The killing of Muammar Gadaffi in Sirte has been marked by a
round of celebration by western governments over their
intervention in Libya.
As with the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the killing of
Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, it will be described as a turning
point and a further victory in the seemingly endless 'war on
terror'.
There is little reason for the triumphal. Nato's war on Libya
was not a 'humanitarian intervention' but a war for regime change
-- illegal under international law. It was about the western
powers attempting to regain control of the region in the face of
the Arab uprisings across the Middle East.
Yet despite its overthrow of the regime in Libya imperialism
faces many problems in the region.
In Libya itself it is already clear that there are many divisions
between the different elements in the new government, and not at
all clear that a stable regime will emerge. Even if it does, the
ordinary people of Libya will see their interests subjugated to
the oil companies and other western business, backed up by Nato,
which has no intention of vacating the scene.
The consequences of the war on terror elsewhere are not outbreaks
of peace and democracy but rather a spreading of the war.
Afghanistan, ten years on, has just experienced its bloodiest two
years of war. Iraq remains a society destroyed by war and
occupation. Somalia remains war torn with Kenyan troops recently
crossing the border. Pakistan suffers drone attacks which have
killed thousands. The Israeli oppression of the Palestinians
continues. There are threats of intervention over Syria.
The recent alleged plot against the Saudi ambassador to
Washington was blamed on sections of the Iranian government and
Saudi and Israel are both urging attacks on Iran.
Far from the west conquering all, it is deep in the mire of war.
The gloating over Gadaffi should not become an excuse for further
interventions that will only spread the carnage further.’
Where to start with this sinister farrago of distortion, misrepresentation, conspiracy theory and downright nonsense, that is if I can make my self heard above the celebrations now taking place across Libya in celebration at having, with the support of NATO, liberated themselves from a disgusting tyrant, (celebrations omitted from the anonymous diatribe above).
Firstly I have heard no commentator link Gaddafi’s death to the so called ‘war on terror,’ a misnomer since if the conflict we are involved we are engaged in is with Islamacist fanatics with an ideology every bit as sinister as fascism. Moreover most of the responses I have read to Gaddafi’s death have been extremely sober and muted.
Our anonymous contributor gives away a little more than he realises with his constant repeat of words such as triumphalism, celebration and gloating.
'Afghanistan, ten years on, has just experienced its bloodiest two
years of war. Iraq remains a society destroyed by war and
occupation. Somalia remains war torn with Kenyan troops recently
crossing the border. Pakistan suffers drone attacks which have
killed thousands.'**
Terms perhaps a little closer to home than he realises, or thinks we might realise, though perhaps he* imagines we have lost our sense of smell. Now it may or may not be true that drone attacks have killed thousands, how many thousands have the Taliban and Al-Quada killed, why no mention of these victims of war?
As I say for the most part the response to Gaddafi’s death has been fairly muted; indeed I have been struck by the hand wringing and parading of consciences on behalf of the liberal left concerning the manner of his killing. What did they expect if he was captured by half trained civilian ‘soldiers’, people whom he had cowed and tortured for over forty years, in the middle of a fire fight. Of course it would have been better had he been captured and placed on trial, however, as I say, fat chance in the circumstances.
Now building civil society and the rule of law, let alone a thriving democracy in Libya, a country with no tradition of any of these things, will prove exceptionally challenging, however when you read lines such as these, -
‘ ………it is already clear that there are many divisions between the different elements in the new government, and not at all clear that a stable regime will emerge.’
Do you feel that the hand of comradely solidarity is being extended here? No, somehow something altogether uglier is at work, the sneering, perhaps we might even say ‘gloating,’ tone gives the game away.
Now given that the writer, one imagines, imagines himself as representing a radical left perspective it is amusing to read the following:-
‘Nato's war on Libya was not a 'humanitarian intervention' but a war for regime change - illegal under international law.’
Well leaving aside this dubious claim and the preposterous statement that we have been at war with Libya, which will come as something of a surprise to those currently celebrating in Benghazi and Tripoli, since when did the radical left become so punctilious about ‘the law?’ As I type this moves are being set in train, shamefully in my opinion, to get the occupation of the square in front of St Paul’s cathedral ruled illegal. I look forward to reading on the so called Stop the war Website condemnation of the squatters should the courts rule the occupation to be a breach of the law in this country.
The continued high pitched squealing against the intervention in Libya, an intervention that thwarted a massacre in Benghazi and the continued subjugation of the Libyan people, places the supporters of the STW coalition in the long tradition of those who opposed intervention in Spain and Ethiopia, saw Nazi treatment of its own citizens as non of our business and who would, like the communist party actually did at the time, have opposed our actual intervention on the side of Poland. Now of course what most sticks in the gullet of these people is the fact that the Libyan revolution was supported by the west in general and by NATO in particular, for those enjoying this particularly closed mindset western democracies can never be on the right side or act in good faith.
I could go on, but there comes a time when one tires of having to wade through this claptrap, designed to preach to the already brain dead. However there is a more sinister edge toward the end of this piece that places it beyond satire. I searched the Coalition website for any condemnation of Assad’s regime in Syria but there was non, Syria Iran’s ally. PeterTachell tells of Iranian opposition activists being asked to leave a Stop the War march. The tyranny in Iran must be shielded from criticism, which is always characterised as American/Western imperialism. Elements within the STW coalition are little more than apologists for the Iranian regime.
So lets finally be clear, not satisfied with lobbying to ensure that the Syrian opposition remains isolated, without external support, if these people had their way the following tyrannical thugs would still be in power, abusing, torturing and oppressing their own people. Sadam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic, The Taliban and Muammar Gaddafi, Kuwait would still be occupied, as would Bosnia, woman would still be being publicly beheaded in football stadiums in Afghanistan. What a proud record that would be to have, how very ‘left wing!’
*For the sake of convenience I have used he throughout, though of course the writer may indeed be a woman, men enjoying no particular monopoly of such mendacious stupidity.
** My italics.
