If you are feeling a sense of déjà vu watching the U.S’ (and its “allies”’)
bombing Libya, you are probably not alone. We have been here before:
watching a hypocritical U.S (possibly the most brutal and murderous regime
in history) bomb another murderous regime (that the U.S, U.K and Canada etc.
of course very recently supported and helped to keep in power) under the
false claim of helping “the people.”
This is the new mode of Empire; humanitarian *imperialism *masquerading as
“humanitarian intervention.” One look at the facts demonstrates the brazen
hypocrisy of this latest “humanitarian mission.” So here are some points to
ponder:
The U.S has supported Gaddafi since at least the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Gadafi seemingly became a converted U.S stooge around the time of Saddam
Hussein’s imminent demise.
- Libya is an important supply of oil for Europe and the West, thus oil
is a primary motive;
- The U.S and its allies do not care one bit about the Libyan
people (or any people of that region) and are not there to help them;
- The U.S remains silent and indirectly supports/funds the massacre
of unarmed protestors in Bahrain by troops from Saudi Arabia;
- Saudi Arabia is one of the U.S’ biggest allies though it arguably
operates under the most fundamentalist and oppressive
interpretation of
Islam—so much for the U.S’ war against “Islamic fundamentalism.”
It appears you are only an Islamic fundamentalist, terrorist or brutal
dictator if you do not willingly hand over control of your oil/resources to
the U.S. and/or its allies.
Where was the U.S condemnation of a state attack on an unarmed concentrated
civilian population, when the occupying Israeli State mercilessly attacked
and bombarded the civilian population of Gaza with everything in their
arsenal in 2008? This included internationally banned weapons such as white
phosphorous and cluster bombs, in addition to depleted uranium—i.e waste
from power plants; ironically and hypocritically, the release of which the
world is currently fretting over in Japan. And let us not forget the over
one million dead in Iraq from America’s ongoing “humanitarian intervention”
there, and the fact that more radioactive material has been dumped on the
people of Iraq from the use of D.U weapons than could ever be released from
the six crippled reactors in Fukushima.
The hypocrisy is not the U.S’ alone. Russia recently condemned the bombing
of Libya and called for its cessation; as did China. But don’t Russia and
China have veto power in the U.N? If they are so concerned with the bombing
of Libya, why did they allow it in the fist place?
Whether or not Gadaffi is a bad man and a despot is not the issue here, we
can all assume that he is a domestic tyrant. But do *international tyrants*,
whose hands are figuratively dripping with the blood and tears of the human
misery of millions around the globe, have any right to claim moral
superiority while creating *more human misery *in order to depose a leader
that they very recently supported (in order to gain strategic control over
the resources of his country, whatever the human cost)?
Yes, sadly this is all too familiar, as the plans for attacking Libya and
regime change there has likely been on the Pentagon’s to do list since at
least when George W. Bush’s administration included Libya as one of the
original failed/rogue states that comprised the “axis of evil.” [1] All that
is needed is a pretext to “intervene.”
The people’s uprisings and resultant state violence are being exploited by
the U.S imperial power. The Empire is using Arab and North African
uprisings to its advantage; it duplicitously intervenes on the “behalf” of
certain people in revolt and/or resistance while helping to oppress and
murder others (i.e in Bahrain, Yemen, Gaza). The blatant hypocrisy can only
leave one dumbfounded and indignant!
*Ghada Chehade is an independent political analyst, PhD Candidate, poet, and
activist living in Montreal.*
--
Regards,
Matela Mthwalo
--
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