www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27615.htmUS - NATO Threats to Libyan Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity
By Antonio E. Paris
© Copyright Antonio E. Paris, Global Research, 2011
http://www.globalresearch.ca/March 04, 2011 ---- The present situation in Libya is grave, with
Philippine attention focused on the thousands of Filipino workers there
who are fleeing the turmoil and are in need of immediate repatriation.
Almost half of the 26,000 Filipino workers in Libya are in conflict areas,
and many of them are technical and construction workers in the industry
and infrastructure sectors. Their worksites have become fair game for
armed mobs and pro-“democracy” protesters extorting money, mobile phones,
computers and other electronic items, food and other things of value. Some
of their barracks have been ransacked, and affected Filipino workers had
to flee for dear life with nothing to bring with them.
The hundreds who were the first to arrive back in Manila were from the
capital city of Tripoli and nearby areas in western Libya, and their
orderly departure from Libya (via Malta) was arranged by their European
and Korean employers with security escorts from forces of Muammar
Gaddafi’s government. But employers in other conflict areas, in fear of
being taken as hostages, have fled earlier and abandoned their Filipino
and other expatriate workers. Areas seized by protesters are left with no
local government forces which would be able to stop the armed mobs preying
on worksites manned by expatriate workers.
Hundreds more of Filipina women workers, mostly nurses and laboratory
technicians, are being prevented from leaving their hospitals, or are
unable to get any assistance in traveling safely to the Egyptian or
Tunisian border crossings where Philippine migrant welfare officials have
set up documentation and repatriation centers. Many Filipino workers have
to beg for passage in ships chartered by western governments to ferry
their nationals from Benghazi to the southern Greek island of Crete.
The Turmoil and the Stand-Off
Latest news reports on Libya have it that fighting between pro- and
anti-Gaddafi forces are occurring in Az-Zawiyah, Tripoli and Misurata in
the west ; in Sabha in the south ; and in Benghazi, Al-Bayda and Tobruk in
the east. Hundreds and even thousands are reported to have been killed on
both sides. Protests have flared hardest in the eastern parts of the
country, particularly in Benghazi which was the center of
foreign-supported anti-government agitation in the past. Benghazi is now
reported to be under the control of anti-Gaddafi forces which have torched
police stations and government buildings, and which have taken over the
local radio stations.
The main demand of protesters, according to western news reports, is the
ouster of Gaddafi who has held unaccountable power as “leader of the
revolution” for almost 42 years already, and who is preparing a political
dynasty in Libya. Libya’s justice minister, and ambassadors to the United
Nations, the Arab League, China, India and Bangladesh, have defected and
turned against Gaddafi. The earlier defection to the pro-“democracy”
protesters of some police and military units provided the anti-Gaddafi
movement with arms and even tanks and artillery. The reported seizure of
entire cities reflects a high degree of military sophistication, and is
not just the result of “peaceful protests”.
The Attempts to Again Manipulate the United Nations
Unfortunately for the Philippines, the vast majority of our people are
getting only one-sided news and propaganda from the western media
(including Al-Jazeera). These news agencies are trying to show that events
in Libya are an extension of the democratic upsurge in neighboring Tunisia
and Egypt ; and that there is now a virtual division of the country. This
division is allegedly between the pro-“democracy” forces which have seized
most of the eastern region (particulary the cities of Benghazi and Tobruk,
in the former Cyrenaica region adjacent to Egypt), and the remaining
Gaddafi loyalist forces in the western region (particularly the cities of
Tripoli and Sirt, in the Tripolitania region adjacent to Tunisia).
As usual, Gaddafi is demonized as a tyrant who is bombing his own people,
and western calls are made for the UN to take action to stop or prevent
Gaddafi’s genocide. Among the calls are for the UN enforcement of a
“no-fly-zone” over north-eastern Libya, in order to prevent Gaddafi’s air
force from attacking “liberated” areas. This would be similar to the
“no-fly-zone” over parts of Iraq in the 1990s, which was without any UN
sanction and was only imposed unilaterally by the US-UK forces.
There are also calls for a blockade and ban of any delivery of weapons
for Gaddafi forces ; and for the indictment of the Gaddafi family for
crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
However, these would set precedents which could boomerang on the USA and
its NATO allies. If the UN were to hold the officials of governments and
corporations providing weapons to the Gaddafi regime accountable for how
those weapons are being used, then that would set a precedent making US
and NATO governments and corporations accountable for arming the most
violent despots known for human rights violations and war crimes in many
parts of the world.
Holding Gaddafi and Libyan officials directly accountable for alleged war
crimes against a civilian population, by referring the issue directly to
the ICC, would set a precedent that could hold US and NATO political
leaders also responsible for civilian deaths in their present wars in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. US and NATO warplanes and
remote-controlled drones have so far killed thousands of civilians in
Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, and US and NATO leaders could be
also held liable for genocide.
The Threat to Libyan Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity
Virulent western media demands for UN and NATO actions against
Gaddafi are reflections of covetous imperialist designs upon Libya. In
this situation, the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
Libyan people are threatened. A US-NATO invasion of Libya is even imminent.
In defense of his position, Gaddafi has spoken over Libyan
state TV and radio to stress that the present turmoil in Libya is not an
extension of the democratic upsurge in the region, but an imperialist
conspiracy to take away from the Libyan people their control of their own
oil resources. Gaddafi claims that this is an armed counter-revolution
participated in by outsiders and mercenaries, and which aims to bring
about the imperialist occupation of Libya, similar to the present
imperialist imposition of suffering and humiliation upon Afghanistan and
Iraq.
Huge demonstrations in Tripoli in support of Gaddafi, in
response to his call for the Libyan people to defend their sovereignty and
oil wealth, have apparently disturbed the imperialist powers ---
especially since the protesters in Libya, up to now, have not produced any
credible organization or leader around which people could be rallied
politically. The so-called “National Front for the Salvation of Libya
(NFSL)”, an exile group that has been interviewed constantly by western
media as a leading opposition force, and which is loudly demanding a NATO
attack against Gaddafi, has for decades served as a stooge of the CIA.
The other group usually seen in pro-“democracy” actions
(assaults on police and military camps, and the burning of government
buildings and facilities) is that which is backing the return of the
monarchy which was deposed by Gaddafi in 1969. Pro-“democracy” protesters
have hoisted Libya’s first national flag, that of the corrupt and
US-subservient King Idris, over the areas they have seized. However, a
return to a monarchy could only be considered a step backward for the
Libyan people, and would stand opposed to those striving for democracy.
Finally, another group of protesters is the Muslim
Brotherhood, the sect formed in Egypt in 1928, and which has cooperated
with the CIA since their joint attempts to oust Gamal Abdel Nasser from
the Egyptian presidency in the 1950s. Given this situation where US-backed
protesters lack the force to oust Gaddafi, imperialism is now propagating
the line that a peaceful transition in Libya not possible, and that
Gaddafi’s ouster can only be done by external force. But unlike Marcos in
the Philippines in 1986, and Ben Ali and Mubarak in Tunisia and Egypt
earlier this year, Gaddafi is not someone who can simply be ordered by a
US president to step down and yield power to a new US puppet.
The Role of the Western Media
All efforts are therefore being made to “justify” an
imperialist intervention in Libya. Thus the reports which make it appear
that Gaddafi is using aircraft and artillery against “unarmed” and
“defenseless” protesters. Efforts are also being made by imperialism to
make every use of the former Gaddafi officials, diplomats and military
officers who have defected during the past week, in order to use them as
components of an acceptable and effective client regime to replace Gaddafi.
However, imperialism has to contend with the fact that there
is apparently no widespread defection among the 50,000 to 70,000 hard core
Gaddafi security forces, unlike in Egypt where the army joined the
protesters on the streets. It is therefore the role of western media to
propagate the message that the Gaddafi regime is fast collapsing ; that
its control of Libyan territory and population is dwindling rapidly ; that
Gaddafi’s last resort is genocide against his own people ; and that the
international community (meaning again the NATO “coalition of the
willing”) should strike to take out Gaddafi and pre-empt his use of
“weapons of mass destruction” and his blowing up of the Libyan oil
industry.
It is difficult to see how events will unfold, given the
continuing stand-off between Gaddafi and his imperialist-backed opponents.
But we have seen how the imperialists and their “embedded” mediamen fooled
the world with blatant lies to attack Iraq and take out Saddam Hussein. In
the Libyan case also, British foreign minister William Hague propagated
the yarn that Gaddafi has fled to Venezuela. Considering imperialism's
hatred towards Gaddafi, and its desire to take over control of Libyan oil
resources (now producing 1.8-million barrels per day, and which has the
greatest reserve in Africa), the present turmoil in Libya is being used to
plot the overthrow of Gaddafi and the control of Libya.
Developments Brought About by the Al-Fatah Revolution
The Al-Fatah (September 1st, 1969) Revolution led by Gaddafi
overthrew the corrupt and imperialist-subservient monarchy of King Idris.
It was inspired by the ideas of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, who
earlier also overthrew a corrupt and imperialist-subservient monarchy in
Egypt. King Idris earlier allowed the presence of the USA’s very large
Wheelus Air Base in Libya, but the Al-Fatah Revolution promptly ended any
US military presence in Libya. Before the revolution, the Libyan people
were mostly illiterate and in dire poverty, while Libya’s oil resources
fabulously enriched western oil companies and the Idris monarchy.
The revolution nationalized the Libyan oil industry, and used
the oil riches to uplift the social conditions of the Libyan masses ; to
eradicate widespread illiteracy ; to provide jobs and housing ; to develop
free higher education ; and to ensure better nutrition through food
subsidies. The monarchy used to own much of the habitable and arable land,
until Gaddafi ordered the nationalization of land and the burning of all
land titles in simultaneous bonfires nationwide in order to pave the way
for radical changes in housing ownership and agrarian relations.
Under Gaddafi, Libya became the highest ranked among African
countries in the Human Development Index — which includes such factors as
living conditions, life expectancy (now at almost 75 years) and education.
Gaddafi is also credited with the construction of a broad network of giant
pipelines (the “Great Man-Made River”) bringing fresh water from an
enormous lake beneath its large desert, in order to serve the needs of
Libya’s 6 million population. Under Gaddafi, the Libyan government placed
the country’s development within a radical and populist context, and
promoted semi-socialist political and economic concepts. The Gaddafi
government also provided significant aid to neighboring African states.
However, Communist advocacy is suppressed, and the role of trade unions is
marginalized inside Libya.
It was also under Gaddafi, and with oil money, that Libya
attained the highest per capita income among African states. However,
there is now a campaign in the western press to belie this, and to paint a
picture of widespread unemployment, gaping social inequality and poverty
among the Libyan people. Indeed, neo-liberal reforms ushered in recent
years have resulted in inequality, with social programs and subsidies for
the poor being cut, and the country’s oil wealth increasingly being given
to foreign corporations. The CIA is now even trying to pass off alleged
“studies” showing that most Libyans are surviving on less than USD$2.00
per day. However, such “studies” have no credibility, considering that
Libya remains a favorite among expatriate workers in the Middle East,
given the relatively higher pay and better working terms in Libyan work
sites.
Gaddafi’s Propagation of his “Third Universal Theory”
When Gaddafi started to propagate his “Green Book” (or the
“Third Universal Theory”) internationally, he tried to win over sections
of national liberation and anti-imperialist movements with financial
support, and this caused opportunist schisms within some national
movements. His “Third Universal Theory” is a strange mix of utopian
socialism and Islam --- of non-class anti-capitalism and virulent
anti-Communism.
Libyan oil money fed Gaddafi’s megalomania, and he tried to
play god by interfering in some parts of the developing world ---
particularly in countries he considered economically inferior and with
poor people ready to sacrifice as migrant workers with few rights just to
retain jobs in Libya. He funded Islamic secessionist forces in southern
Philippines and southern Thailand, claiming support for struggles against
Christian or Buddhist domination of Moslem minorities.
In the largely Moslem country of Indonesia, Gaddafi dabbled in
tribal conflicts by funding the secessionist forces of the Acehnese, in a
show of support for the supposedly more fundamentalist Sumatrans as
against the dominant Javanese. Gaddafi’s interference in the internal
affairs of the Philippines in the 1970s cost the lives of thousands of
Filipinos, mostly in Mindanao. His interference in the internal affairs of
other Asian countries cost the lives of thousands more.
Gaddafi also tried to interfere in some parts of Southern
Africa, casting aspersion upon the role of Communists, whites and women in
the anti-apartheid struggle. For a time, he also dabbled in
inter-Christian conflicts, and on this basis even supported the armed
struggle of the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland. He gave the
impression of leading a great international anti-imperialist movement (the
Mathaba or “center”), which in reality was mainly composed of
anti-Communist ultra-left and fundamentalist Islamic groupings. While
vociferous in his anti-imperialist rhetoric and antics --- which drew
sanctions from imperialist countries --- he was objectively sowing
divisions within anti-imperialist movements, as well as within the
anti-zionist national liberation movement of the Palestinian people.
In 1986, Reagan and Thatcher cooperated in an attempt to
assassinate Gaddafi by bombing his residences in Tripoli and Benghazi.
Gaddafi survived, but his adopted infant daughter and many more were
killed, with hundreds also maimed and wounded. Despite Gaddafi’s extremist
and reactionary policies, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930),
through its mass organizations, condemned the US-UK terrorist attack on
Libya. Thereafter, imperialist sanctions were ratcheted up against Libya,
and more assassination plots were prepared against Gaddafi, finally
intimidating Gaddafi.
In 2000, a weary Gaddafi again played god in the Philippine
south, this time for the purpose of mending fences with the imperialists.
The Abu Sayyaf, a bandit break-away group from the Islamic secessionist
movement in Mindanao had taken 21 hostages (including 10 European and
other western tourists) from the Sipadan dive resort in Malaysia, and kept
them captive in the southern Philippine island of Sulu. Gaddafi offered
ransom of USD$1-Million for each hostage. The release of the European and
other western hostages from the clutches of his former subalterns became
his first offering to appease imperialism, never mind if the hefty ransom
he gave only further emboldened these bandits to undertake more terrorist
activities in our country.
Further cozying up to imperialism after the Bush-Blair
invasion of Iraq, Gaddafi dismantled Libya’s nuclear program in 2003,
which step however gave relief to the whole world. This was followed by
the payment of compensation to the victims of the bombing of the Pan-Am
flight over Lockerbie (Scotland), and the granting of privileges to US and
UK companies in the Libyan oil and other business sectors. Reports then
have it that Libya disclosed to US intelligence agencies information on
all the sundry armed groups that it had previously supported. Gaddafi’s
many concessions to imperialism over the past decade have further
diminished his credibility among progressive and anti-imperialist forces,
and understandably, not a few of these forces have declared their
solidarity with the Libyan revolt.
Prospects
Some have characterized foreign interference in the Libyan
conflict as poetic justice, considering Gaddafi’s earlier interference in
the internal affairs of other countries. But what is at stake in Libya
today is not just the future of Gaddafi and his family. What is at stake
are Libya’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is a
different matter to support steps toward democratic changes in Libya, and
to support imperialist interference under the guise of assisting
pro-“democracy” protesters.
The popular masses of the Libyan people are demanding civil
rights and democratic freedoms (including workers’ rights), an open system
of laws not merely based on Sharia (Islamic law), a political system that
would enhance the role of trade unions and other organizations of the
working masses, and immediate measures for the amelioration of declining
living standards.
The PKP-1930 supports these demands of the Libyan masses who
truly stand for democratic changes. The taking of immediate steps for the
realization of these demands could help Gaddafi maintain his dwindled grip
on power ; however, the Gaddafi regime has no long-term prospects, and
could not be expected to take these steps while busy fighting for survival.
It would also be an illusion to expect that the stooges of
imperialism among the protesters --- the NFSL, the monarchists, the Muslim
Brotherhood, or other pliant groups that imperialism could find among the
latest defectors from the Gaddafi camp --- would support real democratic
changes in Libya. The realization of democratic changes can only come with
the quick organizing and mobilization of truly democratic Libyan mass
forces in the midst of the present turmoil.
While supporting the democratic demands of the Libyan working
masses, the PKP-1930 at the same time opposes imperialist interference in
Libya. In particular, the PKP-1930 strongly condemns imperialist plots to
push a civil war in Libya in order to pave the way for imperialist
military intervention and the eventual control of Libya.
No to imperialist intervention in Libya ! Let the Libyan
people make their own decisions and determine their own future, while
preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their country !
No to imperialist interference in Libya and the other
countries of the Middle East and North Africa !
Antonia E. Paris is General Secretary of PKP-1930, The Philippines