Why the US is attacking Libya
- Category Economy, LATEST POSTS, OPINION, Politics, Top Stories
- Post tags gaddafi, libya, NATO
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By CAROL P. ARAULLO
BusinessWorld columnist
Why all of a sudden are these great western powers exhibiting such inordinate concern for the seven million or so Libyans?
Military action to overthrow the Kadafi government on the pretext of “humanitarian intervention” will not be as easy to explain much less justify. This much the US and its NATO allies are now realizing based on their interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and earlier in the Balkans.
Aside from the truth having been exposed especially with regard to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, questions are raised why these powers were not concerned about the lives lost and the destruction wreaked on Gaza when it was being bombarded by Israel in 2009, or when Palestinian refugees were massacred in Sabra-Shatilla in 1982.
Why are they not as quick to condemn and call for international intervention — diplomatic, economic and military — against the continuing mailed-fist treatment of unarmed protestors in other North African states such as Egypt and Yemen and those in the Middle East such as Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. Bahrain has already declared martial law, killed scores of demonstrators, and has welcomed 1000 elite Saudi Arabian troops to help quell the unrest.
The truth is that as in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US and its NATO allies are jumping at the opportunity presented by the internal strife in Libya to control the latter’s oil resources by deposing Kadafi and installing a more friendly and pliant regime. Libya has the largest confirmed oil reserves in Africa, three times that of the US and nearly one tenth of the world total.
After Kadafi nationalized the Libyan oil industry in the 1960s until the 1990s when Kaddafi gave in to Western pressure rather than risk being the next US target after Iraq, the West had only limited access to Libyan oil, and much of the oil revenues were funneled to support Third World liberation movements and revolutionary governments. After Libya accepted the imposition of neoliberal policies on its economy, US and European oil companies such as Chevron, Exxon, Total, British Petroleum, and others were allowed to explore and extract oil.
No doubt, these foreign monopolies want more, if not all of Libyan oil and natural gas. They will settle for nothing less than absolute, not partial access and control of these abundant strategic resources.
Read the full post here.
”ron paul 2012”
OIL OIL OIL…. I wonder why they don’t help poor African countries in the midst of civil war and human right abuses. I thought this imperialism would be history (temporarily) with Obama in power, but i can see that is simply the way USA can sustain their massive debt. Through war!
yes its all about oil – they want to finish the reserves of thier neighbours and ultimatley rule the world wwhen all the oil is on USA soil
amazing american farce again..so glad we have no oil!
This seems like a lot of speculation. I can see where one might draw these conclusions but where are the hard facts to back your claims? Maybe it really is just a greed fueled gas-grab but other than your assumptions, there is no proof. Good article though.
U.S is an evil power, and natto is always supporting U.S for their own means. these powers are invading libya, ofcourse for lundering libya’s oil resources. they are so mean, they don’t bother to kill thousands of innocent people for their benefits. U.S and NATO don’t dare to question israel for genociding phalistine citizens because israel control their economies. however, attacking weak muslim countries for robbing their resources is easier.
May God guide these cruels to be friendly with humanity instead being violent and blood shedding.
Since the evolution of the barbarians, the main concentration has always been divide and conquer based on want and greed. The cover up has always been the need for democracy when the interest to exploit a land for its resources. Obama is just a pawn in the hand of a small group of elite modern-day barbarians who don’t want to acknowledge that the writing is on the wall for their reign coming to an end.
i strongly agree with your statement!