When the popular movements against long-standing despots in the Arab world spread from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya the Western powers thought that something they had long wanted – regime-change in Libya – was about to be handed them on a plate. But they didn’t have the same control over the Gaddafi and his henchmen as they did over Moubarak and Ben Ali and theirs. Gaddafi choose to brutally repress the movement and, thanks to the support of mercenaries and some sections of the population and to superior military power, was looking as if he might succeed.
Faced with this prospect, the Western capitalist powers have decided to play the military card too and have launched a series of bombing and missiles raids against the armed forces loyal to Gaddafi. Since, under the UN charter, wars not authorised by the UN are “illegal”, they have had to present their action as being to protect the civilian population against the exactions of the Gaddafi regime. Even so, when claiming that the military intervention is motivated by humanitarian concerns, British Prime Minister Cameron has always added that it was also in the “national interest”.
The “national interest” is in fact that the interest of the capitalist class of a country, not of its population. Their interest in this case is, as in Iraq 8 years ago, to have a friendly and reliable regime in an important oil-producing country. That’s what the bombings are really about.
As Socialists, we naturally sympathise with workers anywhere struggling to get the added elbow-room to wage the class struggle that political democracy represents, but we denounce the hypocrisy and cynicism of the ruling classes of the Western powers in invoking humanitarianism to once again resort to killing and destruction in pursuit of their sordid “national” interests.
ALB
The Socialist Party
7 comments:
I have to disagree with your characterization of Qadaffi. Much of the Left has characterized Qaddafi as some sort of "tyrannt" or "dictator". This demonstrates a bias coming from the Left is it is a real shame that "socialists" have aligned themselves with the Zionist imperialists who are engage in overthrowing a sovereign nation.
Libya is ruled by people counsels and Qaddafi himself in a BBC interview has stated that he's been out of power since 1977.
In addition you have chosen to align yourself with the THUGS that you label as "a movement". These thugs are engaged in human trafficking going on in Benghazi whereby the leaders attacked the police department. You are suggesting that the Libyan people have no right to defend their country from a band of outlaws.
Since the overthrow of the monarch whereby the Libyan people had the LOWEST standard of living in Africa, the Libyan people today have a per capita income GREATER than Great Britain and public services that the west would envy. Thus Qaddafi has been beneficial to the people of Libya quite the OPPOSITE of your uninformed characterization. In fact right now ARMS are being doled out to the Libyan people by the government to defend their country.
The real hypocrisy is Left's support of the demonetization campaign and my suggestion before joining forces with the Western Zionist campaign against Libyan society is to do some research about the country.
Revolutionary Committees and the remaining members of the 12-person Revolutionary Command Council, which was established in 1969. The historical revolutionary leadership is not elected and cannot be voted out of office; they are in power by virtue of their involvement in the revolution.
The second sector, the Jamahiriya sector, comprises Basic People's Congresses in each of the 1,500 urban wards, 32 Sha'biyat People's Congresses for the regions, and the National General People's Congress. These legislative bodies are represented by corresponding executive bodies (Local People's Committees, Sha'biyat People's Committees and the National General People's Committee/Cabinet). Every four years, the membership of the Basic People's Congresses elects their own leaders and the secretaries for the People's Committees, sometimes after many debates and a critical vote. The leadership of the Local People's Congress represents the local congress at the People's Congress of the next level. The members of the National General People's Congress elect the members of the National General People's Committee (the Cabinet) at their annual meeting." - Similar in structure to the Leninist theory of "democratic centralism"...the further out of the influence of the people , more authority is assumed.
I think you know that our position as socialists is that we are not swayed by claims of sovereignty. We shouldn't forget tha Gaddafi has been working hand in with Italy's Berslusconi to stop African migrants. His Green Book dscribes black Africans as a lazy race who breed too much. He actively descriminates against the Berber people. Nor does the article really presents a case that is sympathetic to Israel. We shoud be cautious about accepting the claims of the opposition as we have seen many quickly re-establish a dictatorship once in power but nor should we neglect the fact that Gadhaffi did run a despotic state based on repression of democratic rights. Again from Wiki, 10 to 20 percent of Libyans worked in surveillance a proportion of informants on par with Saddam Hussein's Iraq or Kim Jong-il's North Korea. The surveillance took place in government, in factories, and in the education sector. Dissent is illegal under Law 75 of 1973. Gaddafi has said that "execution is the fate of anyone who forms a political party". Libya under Gaddafi was the most censored country in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the Freedom of the Press Index.
The Gaddafi family hold vast amounts of wealth outside Libya as well as full control of the Libyan economy. The main vehicle for the Gaddafi's wealth was the $70 billion Libyan Investment Authority (LIA). Gaddafi's sons, Saif, Muatassim and Hannibal are accustomed to living in luxury in the West.
grrr...beginning should have read ...
You say , Deadbeat that "Libya is ruled by people counsels and Qaddafi himself in a BBC interview has stated that he's been out of power since 1977."
Yet for a private individual without any power he certainly appears to wield enough of it.
A quick check of Wikipedia and we find this
" There are two branches of government in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The "revolutionary sector" comprises Revolutionary Leader Gaddafi, the Revolutionary Committees and the remaining members of the 12-person Revolutionary Command Council, which was established in 1969. The historical revolutionary leadership is not elected and cannot be voted out of office; they are in power by virtue of their involvement in the revolution.....
ajohnstone you are so BADLY misinformed about Libya yet you've chosen to align yourself with the Zionists who have invaded the country by joining in the demonetization campaign against Qaddafi.
Here's a link to Cynthia McKinney comments about Libya and Qaddafi. She's been to Libya and led delegations to Libya.
From Cynthia McKinney: On President Obama and Libya; Japan and 9/11 Truth
Some quotes from the article ...
[*]The reason Muammar Qaddafi is a target is because he has been a thorn in the side of anti-revolutionary forces since he took power in Libya, overthrowing the King and nationalizing the oil industry so that the people could benefit from their oil resources.
[*]Libya's Revolution brought free health care and education to the people and subsidized housing. In fact, students in Libya can study there or abroad and the government gives them a monthly stipend while they are in school and they pay no tuition. If a Libyan needs a surgery that must be done overseas, then the government will pay for that surgery. That is more than the soldiers of the United States military can say. While Libyans enjoy subsidized housing, members of the U.S. military risk foreclosure while they serve their country abroad. Money from oil is directly deposited into the accounts of every Libyan based on oil income. As one Libyan told me recently, the idea is that if people have what they need, then they don't have to deny rights to or harm others and the Revolution believes that it is the responsibility of the government to provide the basic needs of its citizens.
[*]Libyans govern themselves by The Green Book, a form of direct democracy based on the African Constitution concept that the people are the first and final source of all power. Clearly, the U.S. move is counter-Revolution.
[*]There is so much more on this to write. But I will leave that for another article. Let me just add this: Earl Hilliard was kicked out of Congress in 2002 by the pro-Israel Lobby because he was getting close to Libya and would learn some of the secrets that have not yet been revealed. What business was it of Israel and their U.S. supporters that an African American Member of Congress was reaching out to an African leader who has always been supportive of Black liberation in the United States?
[*]At any rate, I must put this on the record, too. Muammar Qaddafi has long been a friend to African people. Pan-Africanists have travelled to and from Libya since the beginning of Qaddafi’s role as Libya’s leader, including Black Panther Party, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, All-African People's Revolutionary Party, and Nation of Islam members. I once defended Nation Of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in the House International Relations Committee when the late Tom Lantos--on behalf of Israel--challenged The Nation's relationship with Libya and wanted to dash Qaddafi's desire to give The Nation several billion dollars to help Black people.
This is extremely disappointing development to see socialist position themselves against African people and in the Zionist camp.
So ajohnstone you are going to convince us that Wikipedia and the MSM are authorities on Libya.
Here's the You Tube link so your reader here will see that I'm not making this up. The loathsome Christiane Amanpour who was one of the interviewers when Qadaffi described his role in the Libyan power structure that you blatantly dismiss.
BBC - ABC Interview Live With Gaddafi 28th Feb 2011 Amanpour - Bowen
It seems like you've chosen to align yourself with pro-Zionist imperial sources. I prefer to get my information from Anti-Zionist sources. And Ms. McKinney is clearly an anti-Zionist source.
Oh and just in case you don't know who Cynthia McKinney is she an African American and the former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia who was voted out of the Congress primarily by Zionist money because she supported the Palestinian cause and was outspokenly critical of Israel.
She ran for U.S. President in 2008 on the Green Party ticket.
You seem to think that Zionism is limited to Israel. It's NOT. Is a deeply embedded American problem.
Why did you fail to post my response referencing Cynthia McKinney's article about Libya and the points she makes in SUPPORT of Qaddafi.
As so-called "socialists" you OWE it to your readers to provide them with this information.
Here's the link AGAIN ...
From Cynthia McKinney: On President Obama and Libya; Japan and 9/11 Truth
Post a Comment