By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
More than 50 days have passed since the combined NATO operation started in Libya on March 19 last yet the mighty Allied powers have failed to dislodge a dictator ruling the country for more than four decades. After the withdrawal from Vietnam in April 1975 this seems to be the longest action involving Americans, yet the country with a population of just 6.5 million––that is about double the population of American army––is giving no sign of surrender.
Two Allied operations in Iraq––1991 and 2003––one in Afghanistan in 2001 and Kosovo had not lasted so long as in the sparsely populated deserted country, which would have collapsed to, say the neighbouring Egyptian army, in less than so many days.
The American-led interventions had taken place in Lebanon and Somalia too, but there they had to leave in a huff after suffering a lot of casualties and humiliation. Besides, there was not too much involvement of air power in these two countries.
Take the example of Afghanistan. The operation started on October 8 night––less than a month after 9/11––and ended on November 13. The two attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan were televised almost live with embedded journalists in thousands swarming down the two countries.
In contrast the operation against Libya appears somewhat covert with much less media coverage. With the passing of each day the world is knowing less and less of what is happening in that country, even though lakhs of people have been made homeless and thousands of expatriates fleeing the country––many of them Indians too.
Unlike in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy or any other western country, can not accuse Gaddafi of 2011 of threatening their interest. Saddam Husain may have been––rightly or wrongly––accused of amassing Weapons of Mass Destruction and Afghanistan of giving shelter to Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists involved in the attack on World Trade Centre and Pentagon. But that is not the case with Libya.
If the Americans, British and others have really interfered on the behalf of the people of Libya then when are they going to target Syria, Yemen, Bahrain etc where too people have taken to the streets and the situation is chaotic.
When the NATO strike began on March 19––exactly eight years after the Iraq operation of March 19, 2003––Muammar-al-Gaddafi was almost on the verge of losing control over his country. Almost two months later now it seems that he had consolidated himself rather than becoming weak.
Whatever may be the impact of NATO bombardment on the ruler of Libya the rebels have certainly been caught in a dilemma. For no crime of their own they have become somewhat discredited and a party of the NATO alliance. All this had happened when they never invited the western powers.
The whole Libyan question has now got buried after the liquidation of Osama Bin Laden in the wee hours of May 2. The international media are now obviously giving much less coverage to the senseless bombardment of Libya. Nobody is now questioning the horrendous war crimes of the western powers.
It needs to be recalled that during World War-II Libya witnessed a big battle between the German Army and Allied forces led by General Rommel and British General Montgomery respectively. The local citizens paid the price for the bloody warfare between the two colonial powers. The Allied finally managed to overcome. The ultimate losers were not just the German Army, but Libya the battleground of distant enemies.
Today, average Libyans are caught in cross-fire in a meaningless blood-letting between the NATO-led forces and a few thousands Libyan army.
The truth seems to be that the Americans and British are not there to win any war. They could have achieved the goal within days. They want to first destroy the very existence of Libya — its infrastructure, oil industry and everything. The NATO allies want to give enough signal to other countries in the entire Middle East. The last thing they want is the removal of Gaddafi himself.
They could have destroyed Saddam Husein of Iraq in a matter of days when they invaded that country in January 1991. But they kept him alive and in power after over a month long operation, as they have some agenda for future. In 2003 they got another occasion to re-destroy Iraq and make it an example before the world.
Nobel Laureate for Peace Barack Husain Obama has proved that he is no different from his predecessors so far war is concerned. His earlier speeches in Cairo, Turkey or his overtures towards Latin American rulers, for example, Hugo Chavez, were meant just to hoodwink the world.
Americans are out to reduce Libya into Somalia of North Africa. They think that the leaderless country of war-lords would suit their interest more. But the systematic destruction of Libya may become a threat to global peace as the pirates of Somalia have shown. The nations north to Mediterranean must know this fact too.