Posted on 03/17/2011 2:03:34 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
His air force is already bombing the outskirts of the city, but not for much longer. The Security Council’s expected to vote at 6 p.m. ET and the French are telling people that airstrikes against Libyan air defenses — and maybe more — could begin immediately thereafter. At the same time, Qaddafi just delivered another insane stemwinder against the rebels on Libyan radio warning people in Benghazi that the army will be rolling into town tonight and that, if they don’t surrender, they’ll receive “no mercy.” Which means, unless someone blinks in the next few hours, that city will be a bona fide international war zone by the time America goes to bed tonight.
This is turning out to be some week.
Ibrahim Dabbashi, the deputy Libyan UN ambassador, warned that, “in the coming hours we will see a real genocide if the international community does not act quickly.”
Dabbashi, who defected early on from the Gaddafi regime, said “about five” Arab states were ready to help police the no-fly zone if it was adopted…
Al Jazeera’s Bays in Tobruk said that people in the city said they were confident of winning against Gaddafi, but still needed international help.
“I can tell you that when you speak to the people here, they say they’re winning, they say they’re beating back Gaddafi. Then you ask them the question should the international community do more, and they say ‘Yes, we’re all going to die if they don’t help’. So very contradictory answers to those questions,” Bays reported on Thursday.
The regime’s threatening to retaliate by attacking air and sea traffic in the Mediterranean, which is unlikely in the near term with NATO overhead but more likely if Qaddafi brokers a deal to stay in power and inevitably returns to his old terrorist-y ways. (He’s worried enough about imminent airstrikes to have opted for radio over video today.) Meanwhile, I’m intrigued by those five Arab states who are allegedly ready to help “police” the NFZ. What does that mean, exactly? McClatchy reported earlier that only two were on board so momentum is building across the region to help make this happen, but in practical terms it means — what? Certainly use of local air bases; possibly also … Arab air forces joining NATO patrols?
As for which five states are involved, Tunisia and Egypt are obvious candidates since they’re adjacent, have revolutionary fever themselves, and want to maintain good relations with the west in the near term to keep the foreign aid flowing while they reorganize. The obvious risk is that if Qaddafi somehow remains in charge, then they have to live with him and wonder if he’s plotting revenge. That’s not a big concern for Egypt, which could crush him if need be, but little Tunisia may think twice. Assuming they’re both in, though, then who are the other three states? Given the current circumstances in the region, would the Saudis dare lend logistical support to dislodging an Arab dictator — even one they despise? Stay tuned.
Exit question: How’d the NATO powers get China and Russia to go along with a no-fly zone on the Security Council? Exit answer: In a way, they didn’t.
Update: According to one report, four of the five Arab countries involved are the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, and … Saudi Arabia. No word on the fifth. I guess Tunisia and Egypt don’t want to make the mad dog mad.
You are probably right. Hillary Clinton just announced that we would send several hundred million Tunisia to strengthen their efforts for democracy. Obama's team has also probably calculated and planned to used a war with Libya to demand no further cuts in government programs and to support the presidency.
How long did we enforce a no fly zone after the first Gulf War?
10 years?
How did it end? The second Gulf War.
By excluding ground troops, this resolution will probably result in a stalemate.
Is the United nations finally doing their job? WTF?
And as a college student at that time of war-I never knew that we had won every battle in Vietnam. I thought with ol Walter's body bag count featured on the news every night, that we were losing.
I regret my lack of knowledge at that time. And that I did not run up to every young man in uniform and thank them for their service. F'n liberal media. And ol Walter Cronkite himself, the dead commie I now recall with disgust, was a MAJOR FORCE in seeing to it that Vietnam became a 'quagmire' for our nation.
But in the end of all of this crap brought down upon the world from islamist jerks, I hope that NO LEADER, TYRANT, Dictator, fake president, whatever has the courage to fund, finance and harbor terrorists. Whatever it takes to get this done. Whatever it takes to make the costs of providing breeding for these muslim terrorists, the greatest cowards in the world, far too risky for the leaders of each cesspool over there, it has to be done.
Or forever we are forced into the slavery of fear and will have to fund increasing TSA types. IN the end, we lose our freedom to move about safely if we allow terrorism to grow.
Kill it.
I had forgotten that. Now it is starting to sound kind of scary. Makes ya feel a little off the wall to say that, but I am fighting the fact that my mind wants me to start believing the worst of that man.
There is no genocide in Libya.
I'm pleased Arab states are involved but it may be too little, too late for the rebels.
When Obama personally stood at a podium and called for Gaddafi to be removed, he should've had a plan in place. Obama mortgaged the reputation of the United States and the world saw it was worthless.
FoxNews Radio says we'll only be involved in logistics and refueling, that Gates does not want U.S. planes used in the bombing. We're leaving that to the Brits and French.
Can anyone explain why it's taken this long since Cameron & Sarkozy proposed the no-fly zone to get it done?
Oblama IS scary.
God save the United States!!!!
If the British and the French are doing all the bombing while we help them out with little stuff, then that’s fine with me.
I don't give a rat's ass what happens in Libya, I don't give a rat's about Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan, et al...they are ALL Muslims. As far as I'm concerned any conflict amongst them just reduces the number we'll eventually have to fight during Armageddon.
His air force is already bombing the outskirts of the city, but not for much longer. The Security Council's expected to vote at 6 p.m. ET and the French are telling people that airstrikes against Libyan air defenses -- and maybe more -- could begin immediately thereafter. At the same time, Qaddafi just delivered another insane stemwinder against the rebels on Libyan radio warning people in Benghazi that the army will be rolling into town tonight and that, if they don't surrender, they'll receive "no mercy." Which means, unless someone blinks in the next few hours, that city will be a bona fide international war zone by the time America goes to bed tonight.The air defenses of Libya are a joke -- until foreign planes start to fall out of the sky.
When I did a Google search for Bahrain, looky:
Sponsored Links
End Violence in Bahrain
Police shot people in their sleep,
beat children. This must stop.
www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog
(a search on Iran yielded NO sponsored links)
Watch for it — there’s a LOT of meme-building by media shills:
Bahrain Razes Iconic Square http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703512404576208921480255398.html
Bipolar Obamocracy: Bombing Libya While Invading Bahrain
http://flaglerlive.com/19392/pt-bahrain-saudi-arabia/comment-page-1
Washington wrong to endorse suppression of democracy in Bahrain
by Husain Abdulla
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/03/18/3485442/washington-wrong-to-endorse-suppression.html
UK analyst [Peter Eyre] blames US for Saudi invasion of Bahrain
http://twocircles.net/2011mar18/uk_analyst_blames_us_saudi_invasion_bahrain.html
US attacked by opponents [Iran, Cuba] at UN human rights body
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=212804
UN Rights Chief [Navi Pillay of South Africa] Condemns Brutal Crackdown On Bahraini Protesters
http://www.rttnews.com/Content/GeneralNews.aspx?Id=1578476&SM=1
Libya And Bahrain: A Tale Of American Hypocrisy
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/libya-and-bahrain-tale-american-hypocrisy/1273/85880
Other regimes emboldened by Kadafi’s tactics
The dictator has used brute force to stay in power. Arab leaders in Yemen and elsewhere are following suit. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mideast-violence-20110319,0,1085504.story?page=2
Yemen Rally Erupts In Gunfire
[”anti-gov’t demonstrators fired first”]
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/566581/201103181847/Yemen-Rally-Erupts-In-Gunfire.htm
the flip side:
Should Congress Approve No-fly Zone?
After U.N. Security Council Vote, Debate Over How Far the President Can Go With Military Force
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/congress-vote-libya-fly-zone/story?id=13167045&page=2
Top Obama Aide Ripped by [Republican] Rubio, Senate Dems
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/17/obama-aide-ripped-rubio-senate-dems/
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