The crisis in Libya has continued now for months with seemingly no end in sight. It has grabbed the media's and US attention while unrest continues throughout the Arab world. It seems like half of Gaddafi's government has defected while at the same time his loyalist military is still decimating the Libyan rebels.
This brings to question whether the international community is doing enough and what actually can be done by other countries. The "no-fly zone" that was imposed awhile ago has seemed to help but has not done enough to turn the tide in the favor of the rebels. Recently Obama has announced that armed predator drones will be deployed over Libya in order to aid the rebels. With the military technology today it begs the question why not just find and assassinate Gaddafi? My reasoning is that killing Gaddafi would only send the country farther into Civil War. I believe that the only option would be to somehow force Gaddafi to step down and force a transfer of power to a coalition government until a permanent solution can be agreed on.
Any thoughts? Discuss....
Showing posts with label Gaddafi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaddafi. Show all posts
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Libyan Unrest
The people of Libya have caught the revolutionary bug that has been sweeping through the Middle East. However what I think is seemingly unique to the Libyan case has been Gaddafi's response to the unrest in his country. His response has been significantly harsher that the response of his fellow leaders throughout the region. Gaddafi's violent crackdown has been highlighted with the use of live munition fired by state security forces and also by mercenaries, according to a few sources. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to Al-Jazeera English live feed that has said that there was a report of a security officer opening fire on doctors attempting to treat patients.
There has also been cases of Gaddafi authorizing the use of force on the protesters by the Air Force. So much so that there was a report earlier in the day that stated two high ranking Air Force Colonels that defected to Malta on Air Force fighter jets after being ordered to fire on protesters in the cities.
I think that it is crucial to take into account the ways in which these governments are responding to the protesters across the region. Not to say that I support the rulers of these governments, but I do respect their right to rule their countries. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "He might be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch." Although autocracy and dictatorships are not good for the human rights of the citizens living under them. The sad fact of the matter is dictatorships can brings stability and democracy does not. With our democratic system, the policy of our nation has the ability to change drastically with change of leadership every two and four years. So again in closing, its not that I don't support dictatorships in their squashing of rebellions, but the fact of the matter is there is a right and wrong way to go about things. Firing live rounds whether it be from mercenaries on the ground or pilots in the air, is the wrong way.
There has also been cases of Gaddafi authorizing the use of force on the protesters by the Air Force. So much so that there was a report earlier in the day that stated two high ranking Air Force Colonels that defected to Malta on Air Force fighter jets after being ordered to fire on protesters in the cities.
I think that it is crucial to take into account the ways in which these governments are responding to the protesters across the region. Not to say that I support the rulers of these governments, but I do respect their right to rule their countries. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "He might be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch." Although autocracy and dictatorships are not good for the human rights of the citizens living under them. The sad fact of the matter is dictatorships can brings stability and democracy does not. With our democratic system, the policy of our nation has the ability to change drastically with change of leadership every two and four years. So again in closing, its not that I don't support dictatorships in their squashing of rebellions, but the fact of the matter is there is a right and wrong way to go about things. Firing live rounds whether it be from mercenaries on the ground or pilots in the air, is the wrong way.
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