Western Duplicity On Libya, Now Foils Action On Syria

President Obama embarrasingly declared that Bashar al-Assad, the mass killer of Syrian civilians, could still be a part of leading the transition to democracy there.

[Black Star News Editorial]

Duplicity and dishonesty by the United States, France and Britain with respect to obtaining Resolution 1973 to pave the way for NATO’s aerial invasion of Libya is now backfiring in terms of dealing with Syria.

In Syria, dictator Bashar al-Assad has turned his armed forces, with tanks and machine guns blazing, against his own people.

Several hundreds if not thousands are believed to have been massacred in various cities around the country. Yesterday alone, as pro-democracy Syrians defied the government and took to the streets, scores were killed, including in the hotbed city of Hom.

The International Criminal Court’s Luis Moreno-Ocampo has yet to utter a word; he is waiting for permission from Washington. Just shows you how compromised the ICC has become; selectively determining which crimes against humanity to pursue based on political considerations, not the facts before the world’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security council could not mobilize enough support earlier this month to condemn Syria, perhaps paving the way for international action. This is because Russia, China, Brazil and India are opposed. They recall how the U.S., France and the U.K. lied about wanting to “save Libyan civilians,” obtained Resolution 1973 –because Russia, Brazil and China abstained– only to turn the UN Resolution into a regime-change instrument. NATO has been mercilessly bombarding Libya and destroying billions of dollars worth of properties and infrastructure, perhaps creating conditions that will later benefit Western contractors when Libya needs to rebuild; NATO has illegally and immorally been acting as the airforces of the Benghazi rebels, even coordinating attacks together; NATO has tried numerous times to kill Libya’s Maummar al-Quathafi, and; NATO members France and Britain have sent military instructors to join the rebellion, boosting a CIA contingent from the United States.

The ultimate goal, at least for France and Britain, are for favorable oil concessions in a post-Quathafi Libya. After all, the Benghazi leadership told The Financial Times that oil concessions would be apportioned depending on the level of support each Western country provided in deposing al-Quathafi.

NATO’s U.N.-endorsed criminality was decried by Russia’s Vladimir Putin as resembling a call to medieval “crusade.” It has also probably sealed the fate of Russia’s President Dimitri Medvedev; Putin will probably run next year and get re-elected president.

Now, when U.N. action is necessary against Syria, the troika of U.S., France and the U.K. have lost the moral highground; Russia, China, Brazil and India can’t trust their motives.

Resolution 1973 was largely obtained due to the narrow-mindedness and vindictiveness of France’s embattled and erratic president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is faring so poorly that he trails Marine Le Pen’s far right National Front Party.

Britain, a fading power, joined in to divert attention from economic woes back home. The United States was the most reluctant participant. President Barack Obama knew there was no moral justification for the massive bombardment that Sarkozy and David Cameron envisioned –“saving civilians by massive daily bombardments”– when in fact a viable African Union (AU) peace plan was on the table promoted by South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma; the proposal remains on the table.

Obama allowed himself to be dragged into the desert disaster by Hillary and Bill Clinton; the latter lavished praises on the president about the Libya intervention in a ceremony to dedicate a building for the late Ron Brown, telling the president that the late commerce secretary would be “proud of you…”

Now the president’s hands are tied with respect to Syria as Russia and China resist U.N. action. In his Middle East and North Africa speech this week –which made no reference at all to the Saudi Arabian dictatorship– President Obama embarrasingly declared that Bashar al-Assad, the mass killer of Syrian civilians, had a “choice” to lead the transition to democracy there. Wonder how the relatives of al-Assad’s victims felt.

The Syrian dictator responded the next day by mowing down more citizens.

Short term European greed for Libya’s oil has seriously compromised the United Nations capabilities and damaged U.S. credibility.
   


“Speaking Truth To Empower.”

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