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'Kennedy was a cold warrior, but Johnson took it to the next level. He had the same my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours complex as Dubya.' The narrator journeys into the past in order to produce a kinder America. One that may not throw itself into Vietnam with such lust. Published 16 November 2011
A few years ago, western leaders welcomed the about face of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi. Their enemy became their friend, but it ended badly. International opinion should not rescind Burma's pariah nation status until its leaders have taken definitive action that includes ending the use of landmines.
'Kennedy was a cold warrior, but Johnson took it to the next level. He had the same my-balls-are-bigger-than-yours complex as Dubya.' The narrator journeys into the past in order to produce a kinder America. One that may not throw itself into Vietnam with such lust.
Gaddafi undoubtedly suffered from some form of mental illness that had unspeakably tragic consequences for the people of Libya. The jubilation of Libyans is understandable, but the country will not prosper while Gaddafi supporters remain antagonised and the country divided.
The disparate strands of Libya's revolution have been held together by a single unifying thread: a visceral desire to oust Gaddafi. Extremely effective as a rallying cry for rebellion, this anti-Gaddafi sentiment is deeply flawed as the unifying narrative for a new nation.
Obama and NATO have been lucky that this campaign has worked thus far. To participate in a brutal civil war is always a dangerous game of chance. So far, the rebels have limited their bouts of revenge to arson and looting. A blood bath has not ensued, at least not yet.
Obama knows the mood could sour quickly in the Middle East and Arab world if the US goes into Libya with ground forces. Yet if the war drags on, Obama will face increasing domestic criticism. Americans are anxious to see stability restored to their oil supplies.
Many regard the 'Responsibility to Protect' as a doctrine which licences military intervention when civilians' lives are threatened by murderous governments. In fact, R2P emphasises the 'responsibility to prevent' as much as it does the responsibility to intervene.
Following the success of the UN Security Council approved action in Libya, Gaddafi ought to be allowed into some safe international haven. To push hm into a last-ditch Hitlerian bunker stand would cause much unnecessary civilian death and destruction.
The revolution in Libya is about the aspirations of the country's youth, not Gaddafi. Yet he has been front and centre of international media coverage. In this way, western media are complicit in keeping him in power and disenfranchising the Libyan people.
Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi looked like Michael Jackson when he landed in Rome. During his first ever visit to Italy, he said Islamic forms of government should not be criticised since the Vatican is a theocratic State.
For many years a pariah, the nation run by Colonel Mu’ammar Gaddafi has suddenly become the darling of the West