Libya- an Arab Perspective
Very few of us can really tell what's going on in Libya. I freely admit that I hardly have a clue of where things stand now. So I can't comment too much on this piece from Al Jazeera, except to say that is sounds very plausible and reasonable to me:
Again, I want to state that I just don't know how close to the truth this comes, but it sounds much more reasonable than most of the posturing and ignorant pontificating that is to be found in the American media, so at this point, I suspect that it's as close to the truth as we're liable to get.
"After six days of bombing, the Gaddafi forces have been seriously hampered, but the balance of power on the ground is yet to be reversed.
Meanwhile, the Libyan revolutionaries continue to fight bravely despite the superiority of the regime's firepower. Their high spirits and readiness to sacrifice continues to make up for their military inferiority.
As highly paid mercenaries and well armed militias confront highly motivated rebels ready to sacrifice all including their lives, history tells us the latter is bound to win, if not sooner, then later.
Remember, while armed militias fight out of loyalty to a despotic leader, patriots sacrifice for their country and its freedom. Arming the latter could reverse the balance of power in no time and perhaps ending the Gaddafi regime.
Concerns that Libya could descend into civil war or become dependent client state are legitimate in light of the Western military intervention.
But it's up to the Libyans to reject any such notion of dependency in the future, and for the new democracies flourishing around them to support their collective rights for free self determination from neo- colonial influence. Unlike dictatorships, democracies tend to be less prone to clientalism.
No 'I-owe-you's have gone out and no receipts or down payments have been issued to Western powers thus far by the Transtional National Council that we know of, and it could and should remain that way.
As the Libyans go to Addis Ababa at the invitation of the African Union that has long voiced its concerns of Western intervention, political or diplomatic efforts should concentrate on ending the Libyan suffering sooner rather than later.
The end game hasn't change. Gaddafi must go. Not because Obama said it, rather because as the Arab revolution puts it, "the people want to bring down the regime."
Meanwhile, the Libyan revolutionaries continue to fight bravely despite the superiority of the regime's firepower. Their high spirits and readiness to sacrifice continues to make up for their military inferiority.
As highly paid mercenaries and well armed militias confront highly motivated rebels ready to sacrifice all including their lives, history tells us the latter is bound to win, if not sooner, then later.
Remember, while armed militias fight out of loyalty to a despotic leader, patriots sacrifice for their country and its freedom. Arming the latter could reverse the balance of power in no time and perhaps ending the Gaddafi regime.
Concerns that Libya could descend into civil war or become dependent client state are legitimate in light of the Western military intervention.
But it's up to the Libyans to reject any such notion of dependency in the future, and for the new democracies flourishing around them to support their collective rights for free self determination from neo- colonial influence. Unlike dictatorships, democracies tend to be less prone to clientalism.
No 'I-owe-you's have gone out and no receipts or down payments have been issued to Western powers thus far by the Transtional National Council that we know of, and it could and should remain that way.
As the Libyans go to Addis Ababa at the invitation of the African Union that has long voiced its concerns of Western intervention, political or diplomatic efforts should concentrate on ending the Libyan suffering sooner rather than later.
The end game hasn't change. Gaddafi must go. Not because Obama said it, rather because as the Arab revolution puts it, "the people want to bring down the regime."
Again, I want to state that I just don't know how close to the truth this comes, but it sounds much more reasonable than most of the posturing and ignorant pontificating that is to be found in the American media, so at this point, I suspect that it's as close to the truth as we're liable to get.
Comments
Today's posts by you are collectively, at least to me, the best yet in a single day. I thank you for your dedication in this.
but the balance of power on the ground is yet to be reversed.
According to the site, the article was last updated on the 25th -- before the rebels re-captured Ajdâbiyah. The fact that they managed that suggests that the initiative on the ground is indeed shifting.
I hope that we (or the French, whose show this really is) do seriously consider arming the rebels. Everyone knows we want them to win, whatever the exact wording of the UN resolution. We might as well get on with it. The faster the fighting ends, the less people suffer.
I have heard some semi-substantiated stories that suggest Gaddafi is considering leaving- not enough to be sure about anything, but wouldn't it be nice if it were true. And i mean, not only for the people of Libya and many other potential Libyas in the middle east, but for the people of our country, to be able to point to responsible use of our power, after a decade of megalomaniac bullying.