No, not an invite to rush down to your local KFC but a reflection on the situation in Libya as morning breaks here in the UK.
Gaddafi has spoken of the amazingly quick (for them) and united (no veto from China, Russia and others who abstained) resolution to engage in 'no fly zones' and other involvement stopping short of boots on the ground. His assessment?
"The world has gone mad and we will go mad with them!"
France has said they will be involved 'in hours' and as measures are put in place to protect the people of Libya, we need to pray for this land and its inhabitants, for a balanced and measured intervention and when it's all done ask why the previous government of this land aided Gaddafi in financial, military and other ways.
I don't think the words used by a member of the previous government that spoke of "having to deal with people we would rather not," cut the ice. Libya were probably the greatest supplier of arms, ammunition and explosives to the IRA and the blood of British civilians and military personnel is on their hands.
Integrity and government - strange bedfellows indeed.
Pax
Ps. Looks like we can add Bahrain to the prayer list (along with Japan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria . . . Just pray for the world!)
Showing posts with label United Nations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Nations. Show all posts
Friday, 18 March 2011
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Europe - 'a pathetic and impotent' force
This is how Europe has been portrayed this morning.
Fearing that they might be drawn into a conflict in North Africa, many of the European nations are content to stand by and watch Gaddafi's forces use air power to suppress an uprising of the general populace against forty-one years of oppression. Talk of 'human shields' (a contravention of Article 51.7 which states that the presence of civilians "shall not be used to... shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations" require someone to act, but the weak and cowardly European forces fear another Iraq and so refrain from doing the right thing.
The bombing of civillians is prohibited (see articles 22 - 25 1923 draft rules on aerial warfare) and yet we see this taking place. Where there are combatants in places where non-engaged civilian populace is to be found, then the rule is that you don't bomb! But we stand by and watch, tutting and shaking our heads, yet do nothing in response.
I am all too aware that Gaddafi would make capital out of any incursion by Western forces, but with the call from the Arab League for a no fly zone we have had the opportunity to support the forces of nations surrounding Libya in imposing such a zone. Mind you, I recall that the same thing was in place for about a dozen years and that ended up with an invasion. But we are looking at minimising civilian casualties and not effecting regime change (another contravention of the conventions).
Obviously Russia and China will veto anything that sees people acting against the right of nations to do pretty much as they wish under the terms of local politics. Understandable perhaps given their amazing histories of human rights breaches themselves, after all they would want people to come a knocking either! But whilst we stand around, taking moral high ground and yet stopping short of doing anything about the situation.
To quote German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle: "We do not want to get sucked into a war in North Africa and we would not like to step on a slippery slope where we all are, at the end, in a war." Again, if action is carried out by the very member nations of the same Arab League Libya is a member of, the potential for escalation and claims of a Western invasion in search of Libya's oil would be hollow.
It is obvious that there is no political pressure that can be brought to bear on Libya, after all Gaddafi has stuck two fingers up against many of the Western world, funding, training and equipping terrorists and acting as it wants and the world has done nothing (except perhaps sell them arms!!). If these people are meant to be politicians, then they should exercise the abilities they have and if they can't then other means must be employed. The fear of being 'sucked into another war' is surely fallacious if the right means are engaged.
We don't want a war, and shouldn't engage in one, but how can we have any integrity when we (the world at large) shake our heads and yet do nothing?
And if we see Gaddafi quell the uprising against him and see him retain power, how many of those whose hands are stayed will be dealing (albeit perhaps secretly) because he has oil. Are we not in danger of (once more) rewarding evil?
Fearing that they might be drawn into a conflict in North Africa, many of the European nations are content to stand by and watch Gaddafi's forces use air power to suppress an uprising of the general populace against forty-one years of oppression. Talk of 'human shields' (a contravention of Article 51.7 which states that the presence of civilians "shall not be used to... shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations" require someone to act, but the weak and cowardly European forces fear another Iraq and so refrain from doing the right thing.
The bombing of civillians is prohibited (see articles 22 - 25 1923 draft rules on aerial warfare) and yet we see this taking place. Where there are combatants in places where non-engaged civilian populace is to be found, then the rule is that you don't bomb! But we stand by and watch, tutting and shaking our heads, yet do nothing in response.
I am all too aware that Gaddafi would make capital out of any incursion by Western forces, but with the call from the Arab League for a no fly zone we have had the opportunity to support the forces of nations surrounding Libya in imposing such a zone. Mind you, I recall that the same thing was in place for about a dozen years and that ended up with an invasion. But we are looking at minimising civilian casualties and not effecting regime change (another contravention of the conventions).
Obviously Russia and China will veto anything that sees people acting against the right of nations to do pretty much as they wish under the terms of local politics. Understandable perhaps given their amazing histories of human rights breaches themselves, after all they would want people to come a knocking either! But whilst we stand around, taking moral high ground and yet stopping short of doing anything about the situation.
To quote German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle: "We do not want to get sucked into a war in North Africa and we would not like to step on a slippery slope where we all are, at the end, in a war." Again, if action is carried out by the very member nations of the same Arab League Libya is a member of, the potential for escalation and claims of a Western invasion in search of Libya's oil would be hollow.
It is obvious that there is no political pressure that can be brought to bear on Libya, after all Gaddafi has stuck two fingers up against many of the Western world, funding, training and equipping terrorists and acting as it wants and the world has done nothing (except perhaps sell them arms!!). If these people are meant to be politicians, then they should exercise the abilities they have and if they can't then other means must be employed. The fear of being 'sucked into another war' is surely fallacious if the right means are engaged.
We don't want a war, and shouldn't engage in one, but how can we have any integrity when we (the world at large) shake our heads and yet do nothing?
And if we see Gaddafi quell the uprising against him and see him retain power, how many of those whose hands are stayed will be dealing (albeit perhaps secretly) because he has oil. Are we not in danger of (once more) rewarding evil?
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