http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110329/ap_on_re_af/af_libya
"By RYAN LUCAS, Associated Press Ryan Lucas, Associated Press – Tue Mar 29, 7:03 pm ET
RAS LANOUF, Libya – Moammar Gadhafi's forces hammered rebels with tanks and rockets, turning their rapid advance into a panicked retreat in an hourslong battle Tuesday. The fighting underscored the dilemma facing the U.S. and its allies in Libya: Rebels may be unable to oust Gadhafi militarily unless already contentious international airstrikes go even further in taking out his forces.
Opposition fighters pleaded for strikes as they fled the hamlet of Bin Jawwad, where artillery shells crashed thunderously, raising plumes of smoke. No such strikes were launched during the fighting, and some rebels shouted, "Sarkozy, where are you?" — a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the strongest supporters of using air power against Gadhafi.
Reports overnight indicated that the rebels were in flight from Brega and Ras Lanouf.
World leaders meeting in London agreed that Gadhafi should step down but have yet to decide what additional pressure to put on him.
"Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to lead, so we believe he must go. We're working with the international community to try to achieve that outcome," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters after the talks concluded.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said it "has to be made very clear to Gadhafi: His time is over." But Germany and other countries have expressed reservations about the current military intervention in Libya, let alone expanding it.
France has struck a more forceful tone. Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told France-Inter radio that Paris and London believe that the campaign "must obtain more" than the end of shooting at civilians.
The rout of the rebels Tuesday illustrated how much they rely on international air power. Only a day earlier, they had been storming westward in hopes of taking Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown and a bastion of his support in central Libya. They reached within 60 miles (100 kilometers) of the city before they were hit by the onslaught from Gadhafi's forces, driving them back east to Bin Jawwad under barrages of rocket and tank fire."
It was clear from the start the rebels wouldn't stand a chance without massive foreign military support. Gaddafi's forces were winning and were within 24 hours of taking Benghazi before NATO's bombing began.
AntwortenLöschenI have now officially gone over to supporting Gaddafi.
AntwortenLöschenThe North American entry into the fray will VERY obviously divert all sympathy to Gaddhafi. With, the people's revolt long since extinguished in Libya, and his recent decision to supply oil exclusively to a select few countries, he alone, now, seems like a courageous ruler with the balls to defy the empire and its corporations.
AntwortenLöschenI really don't get it, it's almost like the US/NATO are *trying* to push the Libyans and the rest of the world right into Gaddafi's arms.
AntwortenLöschenThey are, basically, rubbing our faces in their self-proclaimed ability to do as they wish. This isn't 2003, so they couldn't invade Libya directly; so they did manage to wangle a UN resolution (watch these same bastards veto any UN resolution criticising the illegitimate pseudostate of "Israel") which was meant, specifically, to protect civilians and explicitly banned arming or otherwise helping the rebels. Once they got the resolution, they wouldn't have had to drop a single bomb as long as Gaddafi's air force (which, in any case, never actually bombed civilians as alleged) stayed grounded. Instead, they mounted a completely extra-legal bombardment, which is now fast turning into a bombardment in support of the rebels. Any thinking person, whatever his initial sympathies, has to support Gaddafi now.
AntwortenLöschenGaddafi is not exactly replete with good qualities, and he did rather clumsily play into the hands of his external enemies, or so it would appear.
AntwortenLöschenHowever, I am not at all comfortable with the idea of declaring a national leader illegitimate and working to depose him when his own people can't. I don't like the fact that a key rebel leader works for the CIA.
Just when it seemed we were learning to stay out of other people's revolutions...
It was France and the UK who have adamantly went after this intervention. THX to Hillary, US HAD to be on board. Now, after US has used up a chunk of its missiles and bombs, France or UK are nowhere to be seen.
AntwortenLöschenAnd all this happened even though Libya had dismantled its entire WMD program back in 2003. What if it hadn't?
AntwortenLöschenThe US/NATO seem to be hell-bent on teaching the world that you absolutely must get yourself some nukes and biochemical weapons (and planes and missiles capable of delivering them to Europe and North America) if you don't want to be invaded.
Or better yet, just hand over all your oil quietly and we'll consider not invading you.
This is exactly what an article on antiwar.com pointed out: that the real lesson of Libya is that every country wishing not to get attacked or enslaved must get hold of a WMD arsenal and hang on to it. As the author pointed out, "moderates" in Iran and North Korea, for instance, have just had the carpet pulled from under them.
AntwortenLöschenWOW... Couldn't be more clear, could it?
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