Robert Parry: In Libya, a Bloodbath Looms

[marmar]

from Consortium News:



In Libya, a Bloodbath Looms
August 31, 2011

Exclusive: The Orwellian hypocrisy of NATO’s mission “to protect civilians” in Libya has now been encapsulated in a vow from a NATO-backed Libyan rebel who announced plans to crush the few towns still loyal to Muammar Gaddafi with the words, “sometimes to avoid bloodshed you must shed blood,” as Robert Parry reports.

By Robert Parry


NATO’s war in Libya, which began with high-minded declarations about “protecting civilians,” now appears likely to end with a bloodbath that will claim the lives of many civilians, albeit pro-Gaddafi civilians, not the earlier threatened anti-Gaddafi civilians.

Ali Tarhouni, a senior official of the NATO-backed Libyan rebels, summed up this Orwellian reality with a phrase reminiscent of the famous Vietnam War quote that “we had to destroy the village in order to save it.”

Tarhouni was quoted by the Associated Press as saying “Sometimes to avoid bloodshed you must shed blood – and the faster we do this the less blood will be shed.”

So, NATO’s rebels set a four-day deadline for Muammar Gaddafi’s remaining tribal strongholds, including his native Surte, to surrender or face a final crushing military strike, which the rebels presumably will mount as NATO aircraft pound Surte’s defenses. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://consortiumnews.com/2011/08/31/in-libya-a-bloodbath-looms/

[mazzarro]

1. Yeah - Here we go!

The Ghaddafi supporters - soldiers and civilians alike must be crushed at all cost and with all forces at the disposal of the rebels including NATO firepower! Of course UN approval is not needed here as these are the bad people and they need to go to where bad people are dispatched to.:sarcasm:

[Eddie Haskell]

2. That's what I fear.

And this time Obama is to blame.

[bertman]

3. No, Obama is not to blame. The Libyans who do the killing are to blame.

Sometimes I wonder.

[Eddie Haskell]

6. Sorry, they are ours.

We're financing the operation, supplying the weapons, and furnishing support. Give me one good reason.

[bertman]

8. Best reason of all: NO ONE is forcing them to pull the trigger. They could be

compassionate and allow their countrymen/women to live despite their hatred for the old regime and for the people who supported it and benefited from it.

[jakeXT]

7. maybe it's enough for a peace prize

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations - acting individually or in concert - will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago - "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life's work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak -nothing passive - nothing naïve - in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism - it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/10/obama-nobel-peace-prize-a_n_386837.html

[tabatha]

4. NOT going to happen.

I have heard all sorts of predictions that did not come true - the war will last until 2012, etc, etc.

Many cities have been liberated and they are stable and calm. Tripoli was the biggest worry. Seems as though Gaddafi had very little support there.


ON edit: Consortium News - I should have guessed. Wrong and wrong again.

[marmar]

5. "Many cities have been liberated and they are stable and calm"

And you honestly think it's going to stay that way?

[bhikkhu]

9. Does that mean Parry will be happy if there's no bloodbath?

I suspect he doesn't really care, and will have long moved on to the next assignment.