The War Against Libya

The world is again witnessing another war, thanks to the US and its allies. This time in Libya. There are arguments in favor and against. The reason given for this war is human rights violations in Libya under Gaddafi. Talking about HR violations, such violations are also taking place in other parts of the globe. But the West is focussed on Gaddafi, because there is more to the whole thing than meets the eye.

In Bahrain and Oman, popular uprisings were brutally suppressed using military force. Many were killed and injured. There was press gag in these countries. But the West chose to ignore these atrocities, because these countries friendly with them. Gaddafi has always been a mot in their eye for a long time. Now the time is ripe for the West to march to Libya under the pretext of establishing freedom and democracy in that country.

I am not a defender of Gaddafi. He is a dictator and insane, and should go. But what is Human Rights? Who defines it? What are the yardsticks for military intervention in countries, where human rights violations are taking place? If there are norms regarding human rights violations, they are to be applied uniformily irrespective of the nature of the relationship of the abuser country with the West. While the West chose to ignore the clamor for freedom and democracy in countries like Bahrain and Oman, it had no qualms about pounding Libyan destinations with Tomahawk cruise missiles, killing many people in the process.

The real reasons behind this attack is not hard to see. It is nothing but OIL, BIG OIL. US and its allies have been looking for the right opportunity to grab a foothold in the Libyan oil industry. The outcry for freedom by a section of Libyans gave them the much-needed reason to attack Libya. Before it was Iraq, now it is Libya's turn to be testing ground for the western concept of democracy and freedom.

When Obama came to power people all over the world expected a new dawn in international diplomacy and American foreign policy. One of his major election platform was war in Iraq. He used this issue to take advantage of the antiwar sentiment prevailed in the US during the campaign. Hardly one year after his assumption of power as the US President, he was presented with Nobel Peace Prize. No one knows for what. The war in Libya shows that Obama is no different from Bush. If anything, he is an outright hypocrite, to have opposed the war in Iraq during the presidential elections, and now to have the US entangled in another war.

Bush and Cheny were connected to BIG OIL. Obama used to denounce them for that. It shows one thing. Bush or Obama, oil is an irresistible reason to go to war. Human Rights, democracy and freedoms are convenient arguments that can be cited as an excuse to manipulate UN approval for their actions.