Libya (also known for the guy with the crazy outfits and speeches)

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/17/seeks-resolution-authorizing-wide-range-strikes-libya/

Quote :

The Obama administration is pushing hard for a Thursday vote on a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing airstrikes and other measures to stop Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi from killing more civilians and defeating rebel forces in Libya.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that a U.N. no-fly zone over Libya "requires certain actions taken to protect the planes and the pilots, including bombing targets like the Libyan defense systems."

Clinton told reporters in Tunisia the specifics of international action against Qaddafi were still being negotiated at the United Nations in New York.

The move comes as Qaddafi forces have made "significant strides" against the rebels in Libya. Qaddafi forces said it would cease military operations on Sunday to give rebels a chance to surrender, without giving further details about the offer, Reuters reported, citing Al Arabiya TV.

The U.S. wants the Security Council to approve planes, troops or ships to stop attacks by Qaddafi on the rebels, according to a diplomat familiar with closed-door negotiations.

The Obama administration said it would not act without Security Council authorization, though it would be willing to cooperate on measures "short of boots on the ground." However, the diplomat said the U.S. insists on broad international participation, especially by Arab states.

Russia and China have expressed doubts about the U.N. and other outside powers getting involved and either one could veto a resolution.

That possibility spurred concerns by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who in particularly blunt terms questioned Undersecretary of State Williams Burns at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday about whether the U.S. would have the wherewithal to take action absent approval from other nations. During the tense exchange, Rubio said Russia and China aren't interested in trying to end the violence in Libya, and asked if the U.S. doesn't step in, who would.

Burns responded that he is confident the U.N. Security Council will pass a resolution.

"I'm not assuming that it's going to fail," he said. "I think we can produce a resolution. I hope we can today."

The undersecretary noted that forces loyal to Qaddafi are roughly 100 miles from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Burns said Qaddafi is taking full advantage of his military firepower in turning back rebels in Libya.

Libyan rebels shot down at least two bomber planes that attacked the airport in their main stronghold on Thursday, according to residents who witnessed the rare success in the struggle against Qaddafi's superior air power.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, who has been pushing the Obama administration to impose a no-fly zone for weeks, questioned Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz at the committee hearing on why that move would now be too little too late.

Schwartz did not say that the U.S. military should have implemented a no-fly zone but he did agree that if one were to be imposed now it would require additional military action.

"A no-fly zone would not be sufficient," Schwartz said.

"As opposed to a few weeks ago when it would have been," McCain replied.

Read more: http://foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/17/seeks-resolution-authorizing-wide-range-strikes-libya/#ixzz1GsZvYrP8

And to think that some people voted for this guy because he told us he'd get us out of the Middle East.

I think we need a montage. Where's Wade?

Say what you will, but something needed to be done to kill that psychotic c***. I only wish the SAS or Mossad had done it earlier.

He may be a psychotic c***. I won't disagree there.

But, regardless, America has no business being over there. Let Israel take care of it. Let them take care of the whole Middle East, for all I care. Just keep doing business with us.

Plus, I don't even want to know what half-wit will succeed Gaddafi. I was kind of getting used to the circa 1980's sunglasses, too.

Plus his bodyguards are hot.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Plus, I don't even want to know what half-wit will succeed Gaddafi. I was kind of getting used to the circa 1980's sunglasses, too.

And that Madame Tussauds waxwork mug...

As for his successors. If they don't extradite the bastards, then it's 'same as the old boss'. These dictators always groom their heirs. Just look at China.

ambler wrote:

Plus his bodyguards are hot.

The Libyan Labia Guard. Red on the top, pink in the middle.

Yeah, I imagine the next one won't be a freedom-loving "good guy".

Even if we do put him on our payroll.

I say keep waxman in there. Just write him a couple of extra checks if he's going to give us problems.

ambler wrote:

Plus his bodyguards are hot.

A man who doesn't believe in the traditional "sausage fest" security detail.

God bless 'em.

Sharky wrote:

The Libyan Labia Guard. Red on the top, pink in the middle.

That entire family redefines the notion of being batshit insane.

Did any of you read about the lecture he gave about Islam and the wickedness of their Western ways to a group of young models?
As I recall, this took place in Italy and each of them got a small fee and a Koran for their troubles... :shock:

Salomé wrote:

That entire family redefines the notion of being batshit insane.

Did any of you read about the lecture he gave about Islam and the wickedness of their Western ways to a group of young models?
As I recall, this took place in Italy and each of them got a small fee and a Koran for their troubles... :shock:

Then they headed off to Berlusconi's to party. Except for those over 18. They were too old.

I used to be one of those "lets spread democracy!" types. Now I really could not give a flying fuck about any of these backwater nations or their denizens. If we get involved, we're imperialists. If we don't, we're apathetic monsters. Frankly it's cheaper to be an apathetic monster.

The West should be thinking about how to preserve its own future and its own liberty before it bothers with anyone else's.

CJB wrote:

The West should be thinking about how to preserve its own future and its own liberty before it bothers with anyone else's.

Hey, it's Khan! Glad you made it!

We can write fuck now? I hope Dublo joins and cracks down on this licentiousness before it's too late,

I've had enough of you fucking people swearing.

You've been warned.

Quote :

The West should be thinking about how to preserve its own future and its own liberty before it bothers with anyone else's.

Yes, and let's let the insane dictator remain in power after several Western nations publicy decry his actions.

Yes, let's let the rebels overcome Gadaffi on their own, or suffer severe massacring at the hands of Gadaffi's airforce when "The West" could have intervened.

Let's let the supposed authoritative (or practically speaking; symbolic) international body of government for the West, the UN, continue to look hopelessly ineffective and weak.

These will do us great when the new regimes pick between the West and China...

Fuck.

About time Oz invaded Indonesia.

Unfortunately, intervention by Western powers is no guarantee they'll like us more than China. The PRC has done pretty well for itself with Iraqi oil contracts.

Intervention by Western air forces will mean civilian casualties. If the Libyan populace is willing to bear that and still view us as liberators, then all's well that ends well.

CJB wrote:

Intervention by Western air forces will mean civilian casualties. If the Libyan populace is willing to bear that and still view us as liberators, then all's well that ends well.

Considering the amount of bloodshed thats probably going to entail if Gaddafi wins back full-power, I dont think theyd mind if it means victory.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/18/libya.civil.war/index.html

Quote :

CNN) -- Libya's government announced a "immediate" cease-fire on Friday, but witnesses in the besieged coastal city of Misrata told CNN a fierce pro-government assault is persisting and casualties are mounting.

"What cease-fire," asked a doctor in Misrata, who described hours of military poundings, descriptions of casualties, and dwindling resources to treat the wounded. "We're under the bombs."

"This morning they are burning the city," the doctor said. "There are deaths everywhere."

"Misrata is on fire," according to an opposition member -- who said tanks and vehicles with heavy artillery shot their way into the city last night and the assault continued on Friday. "Please help us."

CNN couldn't independently confirm these accounts and it is impossible to tell whether the fighters got word of the government cease-fire declaration. The move, which came hours after the U.N. Security Council authorizing the use of force to protect besieged civilians, drew quick skepticism from France and the United States.
Libya reacts to no-fly zone
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Libyan amb. still hopeful for airstrikes
UN okays no-fly zone in Libya

In remarks televised across the globe, Libya's Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa told reporters in Tripoli the country decided on "an immediate cease-fire and the stoppage of all military operations." He noted that the country, since it is a member of the United Nations, is "obliged to accept the Security Council resolution that permits the use of force to protect the civilian population."

It was not immediately clear how these latest developments will affect plans of some countries to intervene militarily in Libya -- authorities in Britain and France had talked before Koussa's remarks of imminent military action.

But Koussa said Libya plans to protect civilians and provide them with humanitarian assistance and that it is obliged to protect all foreigners and their assets. He also called for a fact-finding mission to sort out the events on the ground.

Koussa says the Libya was disappointed in the imposition of a no-fly zone, arguing that it will hurt the civilian population. He also said the use of military power violates the country's sovereignty and goes against the U.N. charter, but he acknowledged that some countries may yet intervene.

"There are signs this indeed might take place," Koussa said.

But Bernard Valero, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman, said announcement "does not change the threat on the ground."

"Gadhafi is privy to folkloric declarations and we must remain extremely vigilant with regards to these declarations," he said.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Libya has to be judged by its actions and not its statements.

Earlier Friday, talk emerged in Europe of swift military action against Gadhafi's regime.

Speaking in an interview with RTL radio, French government spokesman Francois Baroin said France plans to participate in what he described as "swift" efforts.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain has started preparations to deploy aircraft, and "in the coming hours" they will move to air bases where they will be positioned for any "necessary action."

Spain will offer NATO the use of two military bases and also provide air and naval forces for use in operations involving Libya, Defense Minister Carme Chacon said on Friday in Madrid, a defense ministry spokesman told CNN.

The two bases to be offered in southern Spain are the Rota air-naval station, where a contingent of U.S. troops is also based, and the airbase at Moron de la Frontera. Those, as well as the offer to provide air and naval assets, would be subject to parliamentary approval, the minister said at an event at a Spanish air base in Madrid, the spokesman said.

U.S. President Barack Obama plans to make remarks on the Libyan crisis on Friday afternoon.

Asked whether the cease-fire declaration complicates a U.N.-sanctioned intervention, Michael Rubin, a Middle East expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said, "it is going to make it tougher without a doubt."
Frustration and anger in Benghazi
Libyan rebel: We've seen heavy gunfire
No-fly zone a slippery slope to more?
Libya 'welcomes' U.N. resolution
RELATED TOPICS

* Libya
* United Nations Security Council
* Middle East Conflict

"One should credit Obama for getting the international community behind him, but it came at the price of momentum. The Libyans understand European weakness and know how to play off of it," Rubin said.

The council Thursday night voted 10 to 0 with five abstentions to authorize "states to take all necessary measures to protect civilians." It also imposed a no-fly zone, banning all flights in Libyan airspace, with exceptions that involve humanitarian aid and evacuation of foreign nationals.

The decisive Security Council move comes after weeks of civil war between the Gadhafi regime and opposition forces, a conflict spurred by an anti-government uprising and regime violence against civilians, which the U.N. resolution cites as "outrageous."

Details has not fully emerged of how an international military operation might unfold in Libya.

The United States and its NATO partners have several contingencies in place to act quickly, according to an administration official familiar with planning. They include air strikes and cruise missile attacks designed to cripple Libyan air defenses and punish the military units that are leading Gadhafi's push on opposition strongholds in the east, the official said.

Obama will insist on a major Arab role in any no-fly zone, the official said.

The Arab League's U.N. ambassador, Yahya Mahmassani, said two Arab countries would take part in a no-fly zone operation, but he was not sure which two.

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday that establishing a zone would take "upwards of a week."

But the U.S. military does not view a no-fly zone alone as sufficient to stop Gadhafi. Military officials have said that this move would not halt the heavy artillery the regime is using on the ground.

All commercial air traffic has been shut down in Libya, an official at Eurocontrol said on Friday.

The opposition, with devoted but largely untrained and under-equipped units, has suffered military setbacks this week. But their hopes were buoyed by the U.N. vote, particularly in rebel-held Benghazi, where an assault by pro-Gadhafi forces has been expected.

The resolution singles out the city. It says U.N. member states can "take all necessary measures ... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force."

Gadhafi's son Saadi told CNN Thursday evening that troops will change their tactics and take up positions around Benghazi Saturday or Sunday and assist people fleeing from the city.

The younger Gadhafi said there will be no large-scale assault. Instead police and anti-terrorism units will be sent into the rebel stronghold to disarm the opposition. Unspecified humanitarian groups can help with the exodus of civilians from Benghazi, Saadi Gadhafi said.

In a radio address aired on Libyan state TV, Gadhafi criticized residents of Benghazi and called them "traitors" for seeking help from outsiders.

Along with France, Britain and the United States voted for the resolution, which condemns the "gross and systematic violation of human rights, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and summary executions."

It details enforcement of an arms embargo against Libya, the freezing of assets and a ban on most flights.

"The United States stands with the Libyan people in support of their universal rights," said Rice.

The abstentions came from China, Russia, Germany, India, and Brazil. Germany said it was concerned about a protracted military conflict. China said it opposes the use of armed force in international relations.

Hmmm... what makes these rebels so worthy of international support? They're not innocent civilians or anything. They made the decision to take up arms against Gaddafi. And why is Bahrein getting a softer treatment... why is that regime allowed to shoot at its citizens and not Libya's?

Attempts to bring order to the Near and Middle East are prone to causing more long-term damage. That part of the world has got a different history, different norms and traditions. Clearly a triumph of Western democracy is the most likely thing to happen there.

GeneralGogol wrote:

And why is Bahrein getting a softer treatment... why is that regime allowed to shoot at its citizens and not Libya's?

Because Bahrain has a US base and Libya doesnt.

Looks like the shit has hit the fan... another exciting TV war without a clear objective. Go Team America!

Can't wait till they kill the bastard. Hopefully no trial, just a 'heart attack in the night', or supposed suicide.