Libya… my Libya
The raft of doom and gloom on Libya by the effervescent Western media is sharp, consistent and, to the extent that it is propaganda, a 21st century master-class masterpiece! In fact, on the strength of their reports two weeks ago, it is a miracle Libyans are yet to overthrow this dictator called Gaddafi or better put… this gadfly.
Contrast the West’s energy to help Libyans protest against their government and the attitude of other countries/powers like Russia, China, Venezuela, Brazil and Africa. It is not like as if it is their business to scramble to cover the events in the Arab world or to order the convening of emergency Security Council meeting – all meant to conjure up the nullification of the Gaddaffi state/estate. It is not even like as if there is an Arab rebellion in North Africa and the Mid-east. This speaks volumes.
It speaks of the fact that some powers and countries do not see it in their interest to have an opinion on everything under the sun. One would have expected that with the emergence of a tri-polar world order (China, US with Western Europe and Russia), the Chinese should be keen to meddle in every international scene that is whipped up by the international media and their army of analysts, think-tanks and commentators. Such as… joining the US coalition to oust Saddam or using conditionalities in the manner of the West in the disbursement of largesse to developing countries including Africa’s. These would have been the right thing to do to impress upon the world the reality that the China is a world power with not only military and economic competitiveness but also is a frontline defender, arbiter and custodian of international morality – whatever this is.
Since the end of the Cold War, Moscow has demonstrated a more predictable, even consistent and pragmatic foreign policy. It is not seeking a domino posturing among other countries in the world except within and around its borders. So, Russia would be predictably tough-talking when it comes to Nato gaining membership and momentum among states like Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus. Apart from this, you’d hardly know that Russia does exist or for that matter that Russia is a military power. Well, you only get to hear about Russia from Western media and it’s all about saying… Russians are not free; Russians are under a dictatorship, Russia has no democracy… bla bla bla.
Except for the US along with Western Europe, the UN Security Council could have had less work meeting to impose travel bans, sanctions, authorize invasions and refer small countries’ leaders to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and more time to pursue genuine international peace. Perhaps, the UN Security Council, without the myriad US and Western interests to consider time and time again would have long being reformed so that it reflected the American dream of democracy with its plurality of views and the guarantee of equality and freedom to live and let’s live. Perhaps, the UN Security Council without the West would have done much more to promote the interests of humanity against that of special interests.
Now, talking of special interests leads this writer back to theme of Libya. The furor to save Libyans from Gaddaffi is, to all intent and purpose, turning out to be a Western plot to undermine Libya and lay hands on its oil. In the true scenario of Iraq, put them in turmoil and you are ready to order them around. The picture painted of Libya now by the Western media, upon whom much of less developed countries rely for information, is that Gaddaffi has lost his grip on power; that almost every Libyan wants to see his back; that displaced and refugees are all desperate to flee; and that Gaddaffi should be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
What is missing is that, since 80% of Libya’s oil is going to Europe and with Gaddaffi never truly a trusted ally, there is need to reorder the leadership of Libya using any opposition to Gaddaffi in order to guarantee Europe’s access to oil and oil deals in a country with huge oil reserves. It is not about protecting Libyans. O yes, the Italians had the opportunity to do just that in the last century but instead chose to invade and colonize and then evict and leave a King until he was overthrown by popular revolt in 1969 led by one colonel Gaddaffi.
Muammar Gaddaffi’s 41 years in power has left most Libyans mostly better off than many British and American citizens in the 21st century! Yes, a daunting fact! The average Libyan lifestyle ridicules the African economic reality. It leaves a gaping gap to make other Africans countries including… including Botswana and South African citizens look like living in extreme poverty. The level of citizen satisfaction in Africa and in some European countries, measured in terms of availability of housing for everyone, free medicare, free education, job prospects, handsome remuneration and guaranteed old-age package and services leaves Libya in a unique class of its own.
The US and some of its Western allies must consider the risk of inadvertently torpedoing the painful economic recovery efforts that are largely and/or wholly dependent on a stable oil market. The current struggle in the west to rein in economic order in the midst of oil price disorder started with the second and long-drawn out invasion of Iraq which sapped oil reserves and increased the burden of governments to provide fuel at sharply higher costs. Family heads began to contend with the imposed hardship of providing for themselves and loved ones amidst escalating food prices and mortgages.
Going into Libya, ostensibly to protect Libyans, is a recipe for a long-term engagement policy by the US in an Arab country soon to be distrustful of the US intentions. When the cry for freedom dies down and dries out and Gaddaffi is gone, we would see extremist Libyans increasing their fold and membership. It would lead many to draw parallels with Iraq where without a strong leadership to channel productively ethnic and religious division the country has descended into an unstable place in the mid-east. Libyans would naturally take up arms to defeat the invader. Does the US want this? Shouldn’t they be more concerned about leading and protecting the recovery effort in the world and less about destabilizing Libya and potentially unleashing wild oil price rises and play into the hands of greedy speculators?
The ramifications of the Iraq invasion in the US was the exposure of a weak US economy flooded with phony Ponzi schemes, weak housing market, bank failures and bail-outs and a 9.8% jump in unemployment within 2 years. It was not the housing market that caused the double dip recession. It was not even banks’ laxed lending policies. It was the dramatic rises in oil prices from pre-Iraq invasion of US$29 a barrel to over US$130 by 2008. This, predictably, affected production in industrialized countries and living standards dropped as people adjusted to lay-offs, price rises and employers cutting back on investments in order to save their businesses.
The United States should reconsider its attitude in the conduct of world affairs. It should stop playing the domino, god-father card and into the hands of its enemies. It should play down its media who, may be, out of sentiment, refuse to understand the ramifications of their propaganda on their very interests around the world. The US must stop serving special interests (in this case, oil companies and their investments); rather it should genuinely seek to promote the interests of humanity using pragmatic policies.
Sometimes the US should recognize that there is nothing like international morality so to speak where human rights, democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech can mean anything more than the theoretic. Otherwise we would not have Guantanamo Bay and racism in the United States including recently in New Orleans.
Sometimes it is good for the US and the West to admit that China and Russia cannot operate a pluralistic political culture otherwise they would risk fragmenting their nation-states into religious and ethnic identities and rivalries. Except, perhaps, international morality as espoused by the West is applied with the intent to whittle away rival powers in the international scene.
At this juncture, it is right to say that the protests in Libya, while legitimate is not overwhelming and must not be used by countries promoting special interests to make that country unstable and ungovernable. It would not be fun play to see oil price rises in a volatile market dominated by speculators. It will ruin industrialized economies. It would ruin developing countries. It would be a burden on America’s military and Americans freedom around the world. It is better for the US and Western Europe to re-set their foreign policies to include non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, except where a democratically reformed Security Council demands it.
But alas! The US and Western Europe will not take heed until Russia, China, India and Brazil speed past the colonizers turned liberators.
It would be good to be alive to see.
About the author: Cyril Jengo I holds an M.Phil from the University of SL and is the publisher of the Popular Express News in Sierra Leone.
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