UN 'no fly zone' over Libya, human rights protection of regime change?

Why, why why does the world insist on treating me like I am a stupid? Why eh? Warm greetings to you wherever you are, I hope this email finds you well and in great spirits if for nothing at all at least for the fact that its Friday and you have 2 days to ‘yourself’.

Ok so to this week’s observation. These guys from the west thing we are dof eh? Right so Gadaffi yeah the man is a bit looney at the moment and has dropped a few bombs on his own people and is subjecting his people to a whole lot of lunacy! I aint saying that its right but what I’m saying is that its not new. Tiananmen Square in China, Tibet and the Chinese government, something a little closer or more recent, Ivory coast, I have just read that the recorded cost of the unrest post elections is 462 lives, a little further south we have our good friend Robert, there is Bahrain where the government has brought in troops who are allowed to use force on its own people and have.

There isn’t much difference between these other countries and Libya. All these leaders think they know best(like all other leaders I guess). Their actions have or is still leading to civilian deaths and human rights violations, yet in none of these instances have I heard a single muttering of the UN security council putting out a resolution to protect the human rights of the population. No No No…

You know I look at the pictures from Libya and the size of the demonstrators compare those to those in Tunisia and Egypt for example, I am like oh give me a break really?!! A couple of hundred maybe a few thousand as compared to tens of thousands. Then you look at the demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, largely unarmed protestors, yet in Libya we have armed forces who are revolting against the regime and who does the UN intervene to assist? What message does that send to the world?

This whole Libya thing is plenty fishy to me. Yes Gadaffi has been there way too long and its time to take a stroll it is, I mean over 40 years in power treated his people relatively well. Its currently Africa’s richest country, its population is defined by the World Bank as upper middle income. Even though unemployment levels are roughly 21%, Libya has low levels of absolute and relative poverty. So in relation to a lot of the other African countries, Libyans are kind of taken care of…if you don’t mind not having human rights ☺. Please do forgive me because I am no political analyst or reporter, just your average Joe passing commentary like most others, but so for 40 odd years the Libyan machine has been plodding along, there have been no undertones, In Egypt for example there have been calls for reform from the people which was echoed by President Obama when he visited there earlier on in his term, so that uprising wasn’t a surprise, but who would ever have guessed it would happen in Libya.

I digress, the uprising, it happened, but the degree to which it happened well I think it is negligible when compared to those that preceded it, yet they were loud enough to warrant an audience at the United Nations, maybe it was the sound of the gunfire from the opposition rebels that got the attention of the UN, because clearly silent deaths don’t really matter much to them. Be that as it may in around 48 hours the powers that be managed to push through a resolution that declared a no-fly zone over Libya…well done! BUTTTT a few hours later jets are scrambled and they start bombing military assets of Gadaffi…did I miss something> what happened to a bit of dialogue, see what the problem is and how best it can be dealt with…nooo…we start by bombing! Can you say suspect. Meanwhile whilst bombing yeah, the constant message is “we aren’t aiming for a regime change, just protecting the rights of the Libyan people”. RIGHT!!! Its definitely not about the proven 47billion barrels of oil reserves that Libya currently holds, I mean what are you talking about Willis??! Its all about human rights yeah and I am a Nobel Peace Prize laureate! The west knows too well that they will have to silence Gadaffi else he will teach them ala Lockerbie or the British flight (I think it was) that was blown up in the African skies.

I think you all can see where I am going with this. And China how smart of them to fence sit indirectly. As a nation they have the ability to veto any resolution should they feel strongly about it. They were happy to vote in favour of sanctions, but when it came to the no fly zone resolution vote, they opted to abstain and shout “hey stop it you are hurting them’ from the sidelines instead, go figure, is it because they too have their own question marks over the human rights afforded its people??

It absolutely sickens me the hypocrisy of some of these western rulers, who conduct the self same atrocities that they wish to rid nations of but the come under the guise of the protectors of the world…ie the UN. Iraq, WMD….ie OIL, same thing here in Libya. Gadaffi is a tad looney, well judging by some of the rhetoric I have heard him utter over the last few weeks and I am well sure his time was up many years ago, but the people must make this happen not westerners, I laughed when I saw Italy was part of the peace keeping force, those guys are about to be declared bankrupt as a nation yet they have time and money to be sending out soldiers and bombs in the name of human rights, what about using that money to reduce your impending debt burden which will in turn preserve the human rights of your own people.

Another question I have is after Gadaffi then who? Its not like Libya has a flourishing multiparty democracy. There is definitely going to be another power vacuum akin to Afghanistan and Iraq in which the negative elements will thrive!

I guess in this world, he with the biggest gun…and most bullets rules! I don’t mind that the resolution was passed, I have a problem with a) its application and b) the consistency of the UN, because they should have tackled China, Zim and the Ivory Coast first before telling me that this is in the interest of protecting human rights!

Birthdays
21st Mike Cross
22nd Emily, Raj
23rd Tim, Funmi, Glenda
25th Damsie

And Im out till next time…