By Susan Howard-Azzeh
Very sad to see the situation in Libya come to this, to a No-fly zone and military intervention.
Susan Howard-Azzeh
If only Libya’s liberation from the Gadhafi regime could have been achieved by the Libyan people themselves and through peaceful means.
Some people disagree with a No-fly zone because it is foreign interference in a sovereign country, with unknown political and economic motivations, which will interfere with the Libyan people’s own process towards democracy. Some think Libyans are naive in asking for Western military aid – there will be a price to pay and a civilian toll. Personally, I am saddened that regime change is being attempted through military action, not through diplomatic or peaceful democratic reform. Couldn’t anyone in Gadhafi’s inner circle arrest him and bring him to trial for crimes against humanity? Can freedom in this world only be attained through violence and death?
What could have been done differently? What is the difference between Egypt and Libya? Why couldn’t Libyans have just organized mass peaceful demonstrations in the streets the way Egypt did? Because Egypt had the Egyptian military standing between them and Mubarrak. Libyans do not. As an apparently organic sudden uprising (at least in Benghazi) and in light of decades of violent repression of any opposition all across Libya, there appears to have been no opportunity for less violent and disruptive methods of regime change, or at least no possibility to organize the people to build the foundations for a democracy.
There are those who still support Gadhafi, loyal to him as the Revolutionary leader of 1969. They feel at least he’s not a puppet installed by the West for the West’s political and economic gain. However, Gadhafi’s actions speak for themselves.
Gadhafi’s Crimes.
Gadhafi took power in 1969 through a military coup. He overthrew the monarchy of King Idris of the Sanusiyah. Which we might all automatically assume was a good thing forgetting that Italy invaded and occupied Libya in 1912 and that it was King Idris following Omar al Mukhtar who liberated Libya from Italy in 1951. The red, black and green flag we now see in Libyan demonstrations, as opposed to Gadhafi’s solid green flag was used during the reign of King Idris. The red, black and green flag is not a monarchist flag; rather it illustrates both Libya’s regional nature and national unity. The black band and white crescent is based on the banner of the Senussi dynasty of the eastern [Cyrenaica] region of Libya which includes Bengazi. The red band represents the southwest region of Fezzan, and the green band represents the north eastern region around Tripoli. This flag was adopted as Libya’s Independence Flag in 1951.
Unfortunately, oil was discovered in Libya in 1959 and quickly dominated the country’s economy. The first few years of Gadhafi’s rule seemed progressive. He continued the implementation of social programs, health care and education which began under the monarchy.
But in 1973 and 1980 Gadhafi led Libyans into a war which occupied part of northern Chad, causing mass destruction and social tragedy. The area was returned to Chad in 1994.
Friends I have in Libya say life under Gadhafi is extremely oppressive. People are afraid to criticize Gadhafi openly saying there are spies both inside and outside Libya. One friend said his relative was seen in a Facebook photo visiting someone in the West who was considered anti-Gadhafi , so Gadhafi forces visited his relatives’ home and warned him to stop his association. When I email or phone friends in Libya I can never discuss politics because they fear retribution. This is minor in comparison to Gadhafi’s suppression of other opposition.
In 1981 Gadhafi announced the “Cleansing of Dissidents” and the assassinations and arrests of dissidents inside and outside Libya began, including former Libyan foreign minister Monsor al Kekeah, kidnapped in Egypt in 1993.
Gadhafi’s “Cultural Ambassadors” set up gallows in public squares and on University campuses, turning executions and hangings into public “celebrations” of his supposed revolution.
In 1996 he massacred 1,200 political opposition prisoners in Abu Salem prison, and a body guard of one of Gadhaf’s son’s shot 50 spectators dead at a sports centre in Tripoli. So these are why Libyans have not been able to overthrow Gadhafi earlier.
In 1988 a PanAm jumbo jet flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie Scotland killing 275 people, including 189 Americans, and 17 people on the ground. Gadhafi was suspected.
Less than a year later Libya was accused of bombing a French plane which crashed over Niger killing 171 passengers.
In 1992 Gadhafi was allegedly involved in the bombing of a Libyan plane near Tripoli killing 157 passengers.
Gadhafi refused to hand over suspects in the Lockerbie bombing so the United Nations imposed sanctions on Libya from 1992 until 1999, when Gadhafi handed over the suspects.
As recently as 2006 Gadhafi snipers killed 50 protesters in the February 17 uprising in Bengazi. Something even young Canadian Libyans here in Niagara remember with horror.
So what are the best methods for Libyans to oust Gadhafi and usher in a participatory representative democracy and prosperity for all Libyans not just the Gadhafi family? Sadly, I don’t know.
Susan Howard-Azzeh is a Niagara resident and longtime advocate for global peace.
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It was supposed to be the creation of a no-fly zone, but they targeted Gadhafi’s abode twice already, not that I blame them.
What about a powerful international peace force (including Arab League troops) on the ground? Wouldn’t that be more effective in preventing civilian casualties?
What about providing the “rebels” with high-end weapons and training? (I would think that has already been done and is in progress.)
The CIA helped the mujahedin repel the Russians in Afghanistan.
You wisely pointed out the misfortune of oil in Libya. What about stopping our addiction to oil? If we did that, Gadhafi would be powerless.
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Rnoald Reagan, US president had a go at Ghadafi after he was implicated in a bombing attack on US off duty soldiers in Germany the raid cost him his adopted baby daughter but did not nail him, Pan-Am 103 blew up in my ancestral village where many of my family are buried, Lockerbie Scotland right on the border, with England. that act killed many townpeople as well ass all the passengers on the Pan-Am flight. The nature of dictators are they have to be forcably removed, re, Hitler, Idi Amin, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein and Gadhafi , so it will be with the Ayatollahs of Iran, they live by the sword and shall die by the sword,imshallah.
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The will of the people on the ground or the methods they use to either defend or liberate themselves does not seem to matter here. Something else is at play. Look to the Palestinians. The PLO originally used diplomatic negotiations under Ahmed Shawkari for 10 years before turning to military/guerilla operations under Arafat. Young Palestinians of this generation use non-violent direct action, dialogue, films, boycotts. But whether they use peaceful methods or violent methods, it doesn’t matter. They are either condemned or ignored. And 92% of historic Palestine is now in the hands of the Zionists. This is the New World Order – regardless of what the people on the ground want, need, deserve or work towards, whether through overt military intervention or military intervention disquised as humanitarian aid, it is the international cartel that will decide the course of action, the outcome and will reap the benefits.
BTW, I did not incluse the West Berlin disco bombing in the list of Gadhafi’s crimes because in his book By Way of Deception former Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky said that that was a Mossad operation. And a Libyan friend said that Gadhafi’s adopted daughter is alive and well, seen in a room beside another room Gadhafi loyals had been meeting in. On a few occassions I’ve heard that the death of Gadhafi’s daughter was only a propaganda story. So much propaganda surrounding Gadhafi, it’s hard to know what’s true and not.
As global citizens we all need to vigorously explore and implement effective methods of creating justice, peace, both a fair and productive economy, and global propserity. It’s a few generations work. First we need to oust all the profit and power driven invisible men behind governments such as the American government who are the real people in power.
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I personally know about planes dropping bombs on people, I was in Liverpool as a toddler when the air raid sirens came on , my mother who was not built for speed, dragged me off my feet to head for the bomb shelters, a whole family of Jardines died when a bomb fell on the bomb shelter, they were hiding in blew up.The bomb shelter was located in a part of the city known as Kntty Ash, right beside the main railway line, ironically if they had stayed in their house ten feet away they would have lived. I am backing the people of Libya and pray that they shall prevail.
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Knotty Ash! miss typo.
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Because Egypt had the Egyptian military standing between them and Mubarrak. Libyans do not.
Thank you Susan, for stating the obvious. The Libyan government has a monopoly on use of force.
Remember the Toronto G20 activities? That’s only the beginning. Tyrants cannot take power without gun control.
The Lieberals, New Dreamers, Granolas, and Blokheads all want us disarmed; to prevent us from fighting back when economic conditions stir otherwise complacent fat lazy North Americans into action. Only the Conartists are willing to tolerate private firearms ownership.
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