I can't help feeling that this so called "mission" in Libya is just more blood for oil. You can't save people by bombing them, and yet we are bombing the hell out of the place.I'm no fan of Muammar Qaddafi, but the oil companies were, and in 2008, lobbied the U.S. government on Qaddafi's behalf.
Steve Mufson writes in the Washington Post:
It struck some visitors to the Houston office of ConocoPhillips chief executive Jim Mulva as peculiar that he displayed a photograph of himself and Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.But we learn from Wikileaks, that the love affair ended when the Libyan dictator began making demands that the oil companies pay more. Big mistake.
They were an odd couple: a veteran of corporate politics at a U.S. oil company and the colonel who had survived four decades of confrontation with the West while maintaining repressive rule over his North African nation.
After making some very compelling arguments against extending the "mission", I was surprised that the NDP supported the continuation of this war.
Apparently, only Elizabeth May voted for sanity.
Canada has also announced its support for the National Transitional Council, which surprisingly already boasts a bank and national oil company. Its interim leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil , seems a decent sort, but what do we really know of this group?
In 2007, Westpoint tied several factions to Al Qaeda and according to the UK Telegraph:
The result of the present inquiry is that the Libyan branch of Al Qaeda represents a continuum with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group centered in Darnah and Benghazi. The ethnic base of the Libyan Islamic fighting group is apparently to be found in the anti-Qaddafi Harabi tribe, the tribe which makes up the vast majority of the rebel council including the two dominant rebel leaders, Abdul Fatah Younis and Mustafa Abdul Jalil. The evidence thus suggests that the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, the elite of the Harabi tribe, and the rebel council supported by Obama all overlap for all practical purposes.Peter MacKay now admits to not knowing much about the NTC, but shouldn't he have done a bit of research first?
Mustafa Abdul Jalil is an Islamic fundamentalist, which doesn't mean terrorist, but what kind of government would be replacing Qaddafi? And are we now going to train and arm the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group?
In the video below you'll hear a former CIA agent say that we should not get involved. He sees a repeat of the Taliban, that Ronald Reagan trained and armed.
I think we are making a huge mistake. If the oil companies want Libya's oil, they should pay for it like everyone else.
I agree with your impression that we're getting into something in Libya we'll be sorry for soon enough. Most of the newspaper polls I've seen suggest Canadians don't buy into our involvement either. I think May is on the right track with this one. The NDP, well, who knows where they might be these days...!
ReplyDeleteDear Emily. I was curious to know why no one has made any comment on Elizabeth Mays sole "no" vote in support of continued involvement (bombing) of Libya. How can we ever save ourselves from this maniac (Harper) if everyone shows a vote of confidence in their (the cons) inept abilities? It goes without saying that the cons would all fall in line, but the Liberals!
ReplyDeleteJack Laton is a fool and should be ashamed of himself. The young people in his "loyal opposition" show already a lack of spine, intelligence, and an unbelievable ability to do as their told.
We Canadians should never allow ourselves to be duped into the idea that to be young means to be willing to stand up for one's belief. I myself have always questioned the oxymoron, "young conservative". I guess a life in politics is more about just getting there.
When Elizabeth's sole "no" vote was read out, I actually heard someone laugh. Clearly she was the only one in the room that wasn't a buffoon. This country is damned.