Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 10:39 PM
Subject: Re: [R-G] Libya And Theory
I find it unbelievable that 'freedom loving Arabs' in Libya are looking
towards the western world, the USA in particular to deliver them from the
hands of the 'despot' Gaddafi. I find it even stranger that these
'demonstrators' (waving AK-47s) are chanting for the return of their exiled
royals.
The character of US foreign policy is not unknown to anybody and least of
all to the Arab population. Were ever there is a struggle for freedom from
the imperialist stranglehold, the USA moves in to beat it to the ground, be
it in Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela or (along with its Zionist allies)
Palestine.
Keeping this in mind and the continuous clamor of the bourgeoisie media for
foreign intervention to 'stop the genocide' makes the situation in Libya
very murky and hard to understand. I believe the only stand that any
right-minded (no pun intended) anti-imperialist should take now is to join
forces and make sure that their respective governments don't take part in,
or support any foreign intervention in Libya.
Libya's future is for the Libyan people to decide.
***
America's Secret Plan to Arm Libya's Rebels
Obama asks Saudis to airlift weapons into Benghazi
By Robert Fisk
The Independent/UK: March 07, 2011
Desperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a
prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents,
the Americans have asked Saudi Arabia if it can supply weapons to the
rebels in Benghazi. The Saudi Kingdom, already facing a "day of rage"
from its 10 per cent Shia Muslim community on Friday, with a ban on all
demonstrations, has so far failed to respond to Washington's highly
classified request, although King Abdullah personally loathes the Libyan
leader, who tried to assassinate him just over a year ago.
Washington's request is in line with other US military co-operation with the
Saudis. The royal family in Jeddah, which was deeply involved in the Contra
scandal during the Reagan administration, gave immediate support to American
efforts to arm guerrillas fighting the Soviet army in Afghanistan in 1980
and later - to America's chagrin - also funded and armed the Taliban.
But the Saudis remain the only US Arab ally strategically placed and capable
of furnishing weapons to the guerrillas of Libya. Their assistance would
allow Washington to disclaim any military involvement in the supply chain -
even though the arms would be American and paid for by the Saudis.
The Saudis have been told that opponents of Gaddafi need anti-tank rockets
and mortars as a first priority to hold off attacks by Gaddafi's armour, and
ground-to-air missiles to shoot down his fighter-bombers.
Supplies could reach Benghazi within 48 hours but they would need to be
delivered to air bases in Libya or to Benghazi airport. If the guerrillas
can then go on to the offensive and assault Gaddafi's strongholds in western
Libya, the political pressure on America and Nato - not least from
Republican members of Congress - to establish a no-fly zone would be
reduced.
US military planners have already made it clear that a zone of this kind
would necessitate US air attacks on Libya's functioning, if seriously
depleted, anti-aircraft missile bases, thus bringing Washington directly
into the war on the side of Gaddafi's opponents.
For several days now, US Awacs surveillance aircraft have been flying around
Libya, making constant contact with Malta air traffic control and requesting
details of Libyan flight patterns, including journeys made in the past 48
hours by Gaddafi's private jet which flew to Jordan and back to Libya just
before the weekend.
Officially, Nato will only describe the presence of American Awacs planes as
part of its post-9/11 Operation Active Endeavour, which has broad reach to
undertake aerial counter-terrorism measures in the Middle East region.
The data from the Awacs is streamed to all Nato countries under the
mission's existing mandate. Now that Gaddafi has been reinstated as a
super-terrorist in the West's lexicon, however, the Nato mission can easily
be used to search for targets of opportunity in Libya if active military
operations are undertaken.
Al Jazeera English television channel last night broadcast recordings made
by American aircraft to Maltese air traffic control, requesting information
about Libyan flights, especially that of Gaddafi's jet.
An American Awacs aircraft, tail number LX-N90442 could be heard contacting
the Malta control tower on Saturday for information about a Libyan
Dassault-Falcon 900 jet 5A-DCN on its way from Amman to Mitiga, Gaddafi's
own VIP airport.
Nato Awacs 07 is heard to say: "Do you have information on an aircraft with
the Squawk 2017 position about 85 miles east of our [sic]?"
Malta air traffic control replies: "Seven, that sounds to be Falcon 900- at
flight level 340, with a destination Mitiga, according to flight plan."
But Saudi Arabia is already facing dangers from a co-ordinated day of
protest by its own Shia Muslim citizens who, emboldened by the Shia uprising
in the neighbouring island of Bahrain, have called for street protests
against the ruling family of al-Saud on Friday.
After pouring troops and security police into the province of Qatif last
week, the Saudis announced a nationwide ban on all public demonstrations.
Shia organisers claim that up to 20,000 protesters plan to demonstrate with
women in the front rows to prevent the Saudi army from opening fire.
If the Saudi government accedes to America's request to send guns and
missiles to Libyan rebels, however, it would be almost impossible for
President Barack Obama to condemn the kingdom for any violence against the
Shias of the north-east provinces.
Thus has the Arab awakening, the demand for democracy in North Africa, the
Shia revolt and the rising against Gaddafi become entangled in the space of
just a few hours with US military priorities in the region.
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