Sorry, its not my call. Nor do I even believe it is in the hands of the American people right now. That responsibility now rests with Obama who has not proven to share your sentiments.
Sorry, its a Taoist trait to be vague at times.
China is just one of countless possibilities. Imagine several oil hungry wealthy countries moving into the middle east and trying to stake their claims. Inevitably it leads to them all expanding their own militaries to defend their new claims or expand into their weaker neighbor's territory. Then it can lead to people forming alliances and massive wars. Nor is this some wild guess as to what might happen; it is what has happened in the history of colonialism around the world.
Uhh.....Jets started bombing civilians last week, and we haven't done anything about it. I would say Obama is taking the smart route so far.
Not our problem.
My guess, Kaddifi is crusin for a brusin from one entity or another in the very near future. And may simply see everyone of his palaces bombed to rubble to kinda give him a hint.
Sorry, its a Taoist trait to be vague at times.
China is just one of countless possibilities. Imagine several oil hungry wealthy countries moving into the middle east and trying to stake their claims. Inevitably it leads to them all expanding their own militaries to defend their new claims or expand into their weaker neighbor's territory. Then it can lead to people forming alliances and massive wars. Nor is this some wild guess as to what might happen; it is what has happened in the history of colonialism around the world.
Of course, you can also look at it the other way. If the US goes on a bombing spree in Libya, other Arab dictatorships might get the idea that they need better airdefences and buy some S-300s to deter and protect themselves against a domestic insurgency.. backed by US airpower.
I thought you said superpowers? The closest country besides the U.S. to a super power is China. If an even poorer country wants to expend military resources on Libya. Let them.
And to your second part. If poor countries want to waste their resources defending themselves against other poor countries for Libya's oil reserves. Let them.
Let's put this into perspective. Germany was a small landlocked country with a devastated economy before WWII. Japan was a small island nation utterly dependent upon imports and exports. What makes a superpower is not simply who happens to be on top at any given moment, but their manufacturing ability and technology. If given the opportunity to expand their economies and access to resources they will do so.
Germany ramped up their industrial capacity after 1933 then proceeded to rape and pillage countries for their wealth after 1938. And Japan raped and pillaged poor countries in Manchuria, China, and Korea before running into a brick wall. I think the biggest thing we can take from your analogy is in the end neither country survived.
Are you claiming some non-super power will become a super power by expending resources occupying Libya if we dont? Have we become rich occupying Iraq? A country with more oil resources than Libya?
Germany ramped up their industrial capacity after 1933 then proceeded to rape and pillage countries for their wealth after 1938. And Japan raped and pillaged poor countries in Manchuria, China, and Korea before running into a brick wall. I think the biggest thing we can take from your analogy is in the end neither country survived.
Are you claiming some non-super power will become a super power by expending resources occupying Libya if we dont? Have we become rich occupying Iraq? A country with more oil resources than Libya?
Apparently the people on't want intervention, so we shouldn't intervene.
This is absolutely correct.Hence we have military bases in places like Saudi Arabia and now Iraq which is right next door to Iran. And we make billion dollar contributions in cash and weapons to whatever local dictator is willing to support the status quo. If the world fell to shit tomorrow and every country began fighting over whatever they could get their hands on the US would own the middle east. If the oil there ran out tomorrow we'd abandon them to their fate so fast they'd wonder if we were ever really there.
Maybe not, but they are considering asking us for air strikes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/world/africa/02libya.html?ref=africa
Al Jazeera English has a recent map with key locations in their live blog.Anyone have a clue what's going on here? Are there any websites with a good up to date map of supposed progress or lack of it by rebels, like a day by day representation of which areas they hold?
Most of what has been labelled a war crime by Gadaffi is definitely NOT attacking armed insurgents but unarmed protesters. General shooting without any real effort to target those armed, or aerial bombings that make no effort to specifically target military targets are the other areas of particular note. (The details on the bombing are somewhat more disputed due to a lack to reliable info.)Just think about it, if Gaddafi orders his tanks and planes to attack armed insurgents, apparently we think its a war crime and it may even warrant foreign military intervention; but how is it different from NATO bombing insurgents in Iraq, Taliban in Afghanistan or Israel bombing Hamas? What if Russia or China or Iran thinks insurgents in those countries are fighting for a just cause against criminal regimes, and decide they ought to bomb the presidential palaces of Karzai, Talabani or Netanyahu?
Dont get me wrong, I have no love for Gadaffi; just giving some of you some food for thought.
Why does anyone want the U.S. to intervene? All we know is that Israel could be pulling everyone into ths s***.
It's not my problem if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere on a cold night and you're freezing to death but chances are I'll stop and ask if you need a lift anyway because I'm a human being. Aren't you? There's no way you can read reports of protesters who represent a clear majority of the population getting shot up by police and be completely indifferent to it. Even if you claim to be unaffected I don't believe it. So now with that out of the way the question is not whether these people deserve help but whether the cost to it is too high (e.g. it neuters the popular support of the uprising, NATO in big ground war, etc.).This is not the U.S.'s problem, but rather Libya's so the U.S. needs to keep the f*** out!
Why does anyone want the U.S. to intervene? All we know is that Israel could be pulling everyone into ths s***.