A people's Revolution

Pro-Gaddafi forces retake three towns with air aupport and begin a march on Benghazi. It is also being reported that anti-Gaddafi forces are ready to march on Tripoli.
 
Pro-Gaddafi forces retake three towns with air aupport and begin a march on Benghazi. It is also being reported that anti-Gaddafi forces are ready to march on Tripoli.

I'm no expert, but this sounds like bad news.
 
The people's authority represents a "true democracy" without any parliament or elections, says Gaddafi.

"Authority and power is in the hands of the people and only the people."

We give no power to any king or president, he says.

The Libyan system "is not comprehended by the world".

"I carried out a revolution in the 70s, handed over power to the people and then rested."

The rebels ask the UN for help with ending Gaddafi's airstrikes.

I have a bad feeling about this - it feels too much like Iraq in 1991.
 
The rebels ask the UN for help with ending Gaddafi's airstrikes.

I have a bad feeling about this - it feels too much like Iraq in 1991.
I really really hope you're not right Frosty. Fingers crossed the "international community" are on the right side of history for once.
 
I really really hope you're not right Frosty. Fingers crossed the "international community" are on the right side of history for once.

I really dont know why they're still fannying about with the lack of a "No Fly Zone" in Libya.

I hope I am wrong too, but I do not like the omens.

The EU is sitting on their hands, Obama doesn't want anything to do with it, the African Union contain so many leaders who are dictators that they don't want Gaddafi out or to spread the notion that democracy is a good thing.

Everyone wants to sit back and not make the decision. Unfortunately, Gaddafi (unlike Tunisia and Egypt) is willing to do anything to stay in power. I don't think anyone foresaw this.
 
Tide seems to be turning towards Gaddafi...he's gotten a second wind, and with news his forces are retaking towns, this could seriously ugly....

Benghazi is going to get wiped off the map, and the purge the armed forces are going to have... :(
 
Tide seems to be turning towards Gaddafi...he's gotten a second wind, and with news his forces are retaking towns, this could seriously ugly....

Benghazi is going to get wiped off the map, and the purge the armed forces are going to have... :(

And the politicians will stand by and do!!!? NOTHING!!!!
 
And the politicians will stand by and do!!!? NOTHING!!!!

Politicians always stand by and do nothing...we've had much bigger tragedies that the world completely ignored, when in reality the might of the West would have stabilized the situation in a matter of weeks if not days....

Darfur being the perfect example.

Everyone but the Sudanese govt agrees somewhere around 250k-350k people have died in that conflict, yet we've had nothing but 'peace talks'.

The death of a ~1000 people in Libya is never going to be enough to get the US to intervene militarily...in the big picture, it really is nothing.

But if he retakes the entire country...the international media will go away after a few weeks, and then I think those who rose up against him will be told their lives are forfeit. It is straight out of the Dictators guide to holding on to power...hand out exemplary punishment to those who question your authority, so that the next time people think twice before doing it.
 
Politicians always stand by and do nothing...we've had much bigger tragedies that the world completely ignored, when in reality the might of the West would have stabilized the situation in a matter of weeks if not days....

Darfur being the perfect example.

Everyone but the Sudanese govt agrees somewhere around 250k-350k people have died in that conflict, yet we've had nothing but 'peace talks'.

The death of a ~1000 people in Libya is never going to be enough to get the US to intervene militarily...in the big picture, it really is nothing.

But if he retakes the entire country...the international media will go away after a few weeks, and then I think those who rose up against him will be told their lives are forfeit. It is straight out of the Dictators guide to holding on to power...hand out exemplary punishment to those who question your authority, so that the next time people think twice before doing it.

One word. OIL.
 
Sudan is seriously resource rich...Oil, gas, minerals.

I think if Sudan had been in Asia the world would have intervened, but the world is tired of Africa.

So everyone more or less ignored it.

No surprise Darfur is where 80% of the resources are and now has won independence from the North.
 
I don't follow Tehran TV.

Likewise, maybe you ought to stop being a mouthpiece for your employers on an football forum ;)

I watch Press TV all the time. Reminds me a lot of your posts.
 
I watch Press TV all the time. Reminds me a lot of your posts.

So? What are you suggesting, that I copyright my views?

And I'm vehemently anti-Khameini, didn't recall Press TV were too. Why are you watching it anyway?
 
This is worrying.

Gaddafi won't fall without taking a lot of people with him.

And the UK and America will all suck up to him.....again!

What should happen is that we should find out what petrol companies are using Libyan petrol and stop buying it. Of course that will never happen as we are all comfortable with our little lives as we are and feck the world.
 
The US and Europeans are doing exactly the right thing. Putting pressure on Gaddafi and letting things evolve internally. If the tide turns and Gaddafi’s forces start brutally crushing the revolution outside intervention might be justified.
 
The US and Europeans are doing exactly the right thing. Putting pressure on Gaddafi and letting things evolve internally. If the tide turns and Gaddafi’s forces start brutally crushing the revolution outside intervention might be justified.

I care more about an American than I do a Libyan, so I want no intervention from the US at all. Why is it our job to protect the rebels, screw them what they are doing is noble enough right now, but when they are in power will they really do anything to help the US.

I'm sick of the US intervening into the world affairs, for "democracy," all while the American governments takes more of my rights.
 
Enforcing a no fly zone, and destroying some of his heavy weaponary will be like a training excerise. That is about all the intervention I could justify. Definetely don't want to see a single American foot inside the country......but flying around blowing shit up might be acceptable (if we take some oil to pay for the bombs of course).

Seriously though if crushing the revolution turns into a blood bath it would be wrong to do nothing.
 
Enforcing a no fly zone, and destroying some of his heavy weaponary will be like a training excerise. That is about all the intervention I could justify. Definetely don't want to see a single American foot inside the country......but flying around blowing shit up might be acceptable (if we take some oil to pay for the bombs of course).

Seriously though if crushing the revolution turns into a blood bath it would be wrong to do nothing.

Yes, because it totally worked in the Balkans right?
 
I'd like to see the west stay out of things for once. Call me a Westphalian, but imo these things are internal matters among the people of a state, other states should have no designs on interfering.
 
I would support heavier intervention from the West. A No Fly Zone sounds reasonable, but I'm not sure how it would work in practice.
 
No fly zones are not gonna work. Won't pass the UN as China and Russia are probably going to veto it, won't happen through the NATO while Turkey has the US by its balls, also Germany and France are not supporting it from what I understand so far. Only other option is the Americans do it solo, with the willing participation of David Cameron, of course.
 
I'd like to see the west stay out of things for once. Call me a Westphalian, but imo these things are internal matters among the people of a state, other states should have no designs on interfering.

The best thing for the West is to sit back and watch this unfold as it may. After the fires clear and the dead are buried, should we get involved with the new government. MQ is the leader of Libya and has been for a long time, he isn't a good guy, but if the US and Britain didn't depose him the 80s for what he did why the feck now? It's literally a Saddam mk2, we had he opportunity in the past, but well let's take it now so we can amp up the military machine.

It was what 18 months ago when you guys released that Libyan terrorist for oil deals with Lybia, hopefully all those deals fall through and that guy is long dead. It seems as though more people in the West are upset now than they were after PanAm.

The US must not get involved in this, there is absolutely no upside. Libya has been run by a crazy dictator for how long, yet now we need to act to dispose of this tyrant, because they did it in Egypt.
 
I'd like to see the west stay out of things for once. Call me a Westphalian, but imo these things are internal matters among the people of a state, other states should have no designs on interfering.

feck your Lillie White Canadian Ass.........our gas went 10% the other day, we;'re suffering down here. :p
 
We really should just annex your country, we will let you keep the flag and mounties though
 
So? What are you suggesting, that I copyright my views?

And I'm vehemently anti-Khameini, didn't recall Press TV were too. Why are you watching it anyway?

Its an interesting channel to watch in order to get a sense of what the Iranian regime would like to convey to English speaking audiences.
 
No fly zones are not gonna work. Won't pass the UN as China and Russia are probably going to veto it, won't happen through the NATO while Turkey has the US by its balls, also Germany and France are not supporting it from what I understand so far. Only other option is the Americans do it solo, with the willing participation of David Cameron, of course.

If Qadhafi continues bombing his own citizens, the latter option would seem the likeliest. Another deep flaw of multilateralism.