so why exactly are they interfering in Libya?
 

I don't get. What gives the UN the right to go fucking around in Libya just because a bunch of rag tag protesters are trying to overthrow the government?

A Government doesn't have the right to to keep it's power?

A very important question.

The UN has never really cared up to now about genocide, beyond rhetoric, so why is Libya different?

Nothing to do with Democracy or oil as there are many one party States supplying oil to the world and no one really cares enough to send in war planes.

Nothing to do with "Standing by and letting a ruler show no mercy to protesters."

Does the UN see the ME developing into a Democratic region that will be more compliant to Western needs?

Or is that a pipe dream. What happens if it becomes more like Iran or is run by an organisation like the Hezbollah. Democratically elected?

The end game is anyones guess.

The UN is interfering because it helps with someone they back's interests. I dont know what interests those are or whose, but I think it's as simple as that. Someone will profit if Gaddafi falls.

In 2005 the UN adopted a new policy, with an obligation to protect.
It basically states that a country has an obligation to protect and care for its citizens. If a country fails at protecting them or even attacks its own people, like Saddam did in Halabja -88, then it falls on the UN and its Security Council to step in and protect innocent civilians.

Gaddafi has now shown beyound all reasonable doubt that he cares more about his own power than his people. This then invokes the above mention UN resolution from 2005 and the obligation to protect now falls on the Security Council and the individual UN member countries. So now those countries which can afford and have the ability to help now has an obligation under a UN resolution and wolrd morality to do so.

Since the UN does not have its own standing army, it mainly relies on NATO to step in and help out with strategy and military resources. Since the biggest and baddest NATO member is the US, it's rather common that America takes charge and heeds the command. The annual US military expenses alone makes up more than half of the total military spending in the world. With all that in mind, it's very natural for the US and its commander in chief, the leader of the free world to step up to the plate.

Anyone who thinks differently is opposing the idea of basic human rights and the primary idea of democracy.

Libya has a law that make any criticism of the government punishable by death. Is such power a right?

yes you don't get it

Anyone notice how about 36 hours after NATO started its operations, all of a sudden the Yemen military jumped in behind support of the protesters? They probably thought, "fuck! Libya's airforce disappeared in 36 hours! Alright, change of plans."

People of Libya are behind Gaddafi. The CIA financed and supported group pushed into fighting Gaddafi are not representative of the Libyan people. Gaddafi protected his people from outside aggression for decades and continues to this day by fighting these rebels off. Clearly, that's not what parties who want an asskisser in Libya want to see...

http://besser.tsoa.nyu.edu/T-Shirts/rbkemp/nowar.jpg

War for oil.

1000's of people are screaming for help, many already died doing so, and no one cares?
not surprising, everyone takes care of their own ass no matter what.

Does the UN have the right to do anything? Maybe.

But the funny part we've been ignoring Africa for decades, why start "right now" and why with Libya?

I know this is a terrible cynical style of answer, but I believe it is true. Bottom line: because they can. It's Libya. It's crazy old Libya with it's whacky leader! They CAN because it's easy.

I'd say the US and the western world not only should get involved but are obligated to a degree. The reason being, who do you think sold the helicopters and gunships that are being used in Libya to exterminate the people? When you sell weapons to a lunatic I think you DO have some obligation to ensure he doesn't use it against his people.... or just don't make the arms sales.
I'm not generally in favour of getting involved in the civil wars of other nations. However we ARE involved as we DID arm the army.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_c60Ls_Hjit...th%2BMoney.jpg
__________________
:warning This is sig area! :warning

Sarkozy is overcompensating for being a poofter in the past

Sarkozy is hugely impopular in France and has a presidential election coming up, so this semi-war came in the very right time for him to be able to play tough guy. Just take one guess as to why the first bomb was delivered by a French airplane.


If you guessed to give Sarkozy big headlines at home, then you get one jew point. Angry Jewcat will keep score for you.

No Oil in Africa ( or not like the middle east ) and the diamond mines are all sewn up.

This is UK payback time, the Conservatives are now in Government and David Cameron has seized this opportunity to get Gadaffi for killing a female police officer, the lockerbie bomb, supplying weapons to the IRA and laughing in our face when the Labour cunts freed Magrahi.

Assassinations of critics abroad

Dislike for Qaddafi Gives Arabs a Point of Unity

Qaddafi launches jihad with sea barrage on Benghazi, blocked oil exports

.

this explains all about it...

I'm not a head man in the Pentagon or UN or anything, so I could be wrong, but I would imagine there's alot of plans written up for alot of regions around the world. The powers that be just wait for the opportunities to execute those plans, and sometimes provide the spark to initiate the opportunity.

As for why Libya? Fucked if I know, but Libya nationalizing its oil fields probably didn't help dissuade people from pursuing military action. Same as Iraq. Saddam was threatening to switch Iraq's oil into EUR. The US administration probably thought, "Fuck you, if you think you're switching your oil into EUR, we'll just take your country, and hang you, ya cunt".

I think that's pretty much how things work these days.

By protecting you mean recruiting/buying foreign volunteers to supplement his forces after parts of the Libyan military in the east defecting? Relatives and loyal members of his tribe is not the people of Libya.

International human rights organizations have documented severe human rights abuses. The International Criminal Court warned Gaddafi that he and members of his government may have committed crimes against humanity. Gaddafi vows to stay in power at all costs.

Gaddafi has "protected his people" for decades with a revolutionary committee on par with Saddam Hussein's Iraq or Kim Jong-il's North Korea (reportedly ten to twenty percent of Libyans work in surveillance for these committees). The regime has often executed opposition activists publicly and the executions are rebroadcast on state television channels. Gaddafi has paid for murders of his critics around the world (bounties) and continues to do so (Ashur Shamis etc).

Amnesty International reported that many of the country's writers, intellectuals and other prominent opposition sympathizers have disappeared in cities controlled by Gaddafi.

I understand that some of you are against invading the country, but how anyone can defend Gaddafi is beyond me. A no-fly zone surely would help further war crimes.

I don't think anyone is defending Gaddafi, but only questioning the true motivations behind the military strikes. And Gaddafi is a "bad man who's killing his own citizens" doesn't really cut it, because there's loads of those in the world.

You don't agree that the civs need protection? There was widespread agreement about this in the UN.

Just read about a family trying to escape the week long shelling in Misrata. All 4 kids where shot by Gaddafi snipers.

Plenty of mad men around the world and it looks like Jemen lost theirs today. Let em fall

Sure, and again, I don't think anyone is questioning that. People are questioning what makes the life of a Libyan more precious than a Somali, North Korean, Sudanese, Sri Lankan, or in many cases Chinese, or... you get the point.

Question is, what makes Libya important enough for NATO to mobilize itself, and begin attacking? You have to admit, NATO doesn't go on the offensive like this too often. Nobody is denying that Libyans need (and are deserving of) help, but why them specifically when there's loads of worst atrocities being committed all the time?

Its because Libya has been talking about throwing out the western oil companies and bringing in Russian and Chinese companies instead. The fact is that if the UN was so concerned about human rights abuses, then there are a dozen other places we should have gone into.


.:2 cents:

Egypt, Libya, there's something they know about Northern Africa that we don't yet.

That's fine and dandy, but what has the UN been doing for the past five years with the other counties in Africa? You have entire countries in Africa with no government. Odd, I don't see us stepping in there and trying to do something.

Funny thing is, what is the Gov to do? Let the rebels just take over? Or do the get to defend after being attacked?

If ANYONE thinks this would not happen in america is just a Blind Sheep.

Take 5%, is the number I heard were the rebels in Libya, Americans who don't like the current president, they go and start protesting in the street, usining weapons on the Gov.
Do NOT think for a second, the Gov would not protect itself....

Where was the UN for our Civial War? HA just saying

Yep Yep!

Hell we have that in the USA, send the UN to the Schools!

x 2 :thumbsup

I wonder if Libya and Iraq would support us if we tried to overthrow Obongo ?