Welcome to Libya's 'democracy' by Pepe Escobar

[Jefferson23]

August 23, 2011


The Big Gaddafi has barely left the building - the Bab-al-Aziziyah compound - and the Western vultures are already circling overhead; the scramble is on to seize the "big prize" - Libya's oil and gas wealth. <1>

Libya is as much a pawn in a serious ideological, geopolitical, geo-economic and geostrategic chessboard as a pedestrian morality play sold as a TV reality show; idealistic "rebels" win against Public Enemy Number One. Once the public enemy was Saddam Hussein, then it was Osama bin Laden, today is Muammar Gaddafi, tomorrow is President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, one day it will be Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. The enemy is never the ultra reactionary House of Saud.

How NATO won the war
The spectacular reappearing act of Gaddafi's son Saif al-Gaddafi notwithstanding, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has virtually won the Libyan civil war (or "kinetic military activity", according to the White House). The masses of "Libyan people" were spectators at best, or bit part actors in the form of a few thousand "rebels" carrying kalashnikovs.



The top billing was R2P ("responsibility to protect"). From the beginning R2P, manned by France and Britain and backed by the US, magically turned into regime change. That led to the unsung stars in this production being Western and monarchical Arab "advisers", as in "contractors" or "mercenaries".

NATO started winning the war by launching Operation Siren at Iftar - the break of the Ramadan fast - last Saturday evening, Libya time. "Siren" was the codename for an invasion of Tripoli. That was NATO's final - and desperate - power play, after the chaotic "rebels" had gone nowhere after five months of fighting Gaddafi's forces.

in full: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MH24Ak01.html

[sad sally]

1. How will the WH spin sending in so-called peace keepers?

Believe that campaign is already starting; saw a headline yesterday on the scud story that said there were probably wmd's in Libya. Oh, America, did you ever think of giving peace a chance?

The new Iraq?
Yet to believe that NATO would win the war and let the "rebels" control power is a joke. Reuters has already reported that a "bridging force" of around 1,000 soldiers from Qatar, the Emirates and Jordan will arrive in Tripoli to act as police. And the Pentagon is already spinning that the US military will be on the ground to "help to secure the weapons". A nice touch that already implies who's going to be really in charge; the "humanitarian" neo-colonialists plus their Arab minions.

[Jefferson23]

2. Who in the MSM will mention oil? So far TV news is jubilant, I doubt that will change..peace keepers

will move forward.

Susan Rice was even on Colbert Report..nice gig if you can get it.

Exclusive - Ambassador Susan Rice Extended Interview Pt. 2
Susan Rice discusses U.S. sanctions against Syria and the United Nations Security Council's involvement in ending Qaddafi's regime, in this unedited, extended interview.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/394653/august-15-2011/exclusive---susan-rice-extended-interview-pt--2

[Peace Patriot]

3. K&R! Pepe Escobar is the best writer at Asia Times and one of the best

in the world. Thanks for posting this!

[joshcryer]

4. "also explains the mysterious disappearance of the 65,000 soldiers in charge of defending Tripoi"

:rofl:

Tripoli Tom was claiming they still had 65,000 soldiers as early as the day before the fall of Bab Azaziah.

No credibility whatsoever.

[Jefferson23]

5. Sure thing, Pepe has a reputation for no credibility...thanks for the laugh. n/t

[bemildred]

6. This is just the beginning.

I cannot get myself worked up about Ghaddaffi spending more time with his family, and his family having to look for real jobs. That said, I think this is just the start, the beginning, not the end. The struggle now will be over who owns Libya and its natural resources, the Libyans or a few wealthy corporations?

[Jefferson23]

7. I don't believe many would disagree with you about Ghaddaffi. Who benefits

and how, who governs the people, or who gets propped up..too soon to say. But I will say I have no confidence
in the matter and that Libyans will have a great challenge before them..our version of imposing freedom generally sucks
for the average citizen.