Daily Times

Libya seems slated to become the next example of western imperialist intervention. With the Gaddafi regime tearing at the seams and the rebels gaining more control of the country — the east predominantly has been seized by them while the west is still, to a large degree, under the control of Gaddafi loyalists. It is because of the lack of clarity on the situation in Libya that western forces are antagonising over any future course the country might take, considering that it is the major supplier of crude oil in the region. Now it appears as if western forces are taking matters into their own hands as reports are betraying that Barack Obama has signed a secret deal authorising covert operations inside Libya. Hence the presence of CIA agents and boots on the ground in the country. Also, at the London Conference a few days ago, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton detailed the US’s intentions of arming Libyan rebels as a result of the relaxation of a United Nations Security Council resolution on arms embargo.

With covert operatives on the ground in Libya and plans to arm the rebels, one cannot help but think back to the US’s similar intervention in Afghanistan in the 1970s when it armed and funded the Afghan mujahideen who have now turned violently against not just the Afghanistan-Pakistan region but also against the US. It is well known that the CIA has some measure of military capability, exposing the fact that the West is looking to intervene in the Libyan revolution with a military intervention of its own. Rest assured that with boots on the ground, it is not just humanitarian assistance the US will be providing. Add to that the fact that one of Gaddafi’s closest allies, Libyan Foreign Minister Musa Kusa, has defected to London — although some reports say he is there for negotiations — and we have a see-saw like stalemate situation in Libya that does not favour those elements who have a stake in the country, oil being that stake.

After the Cold War, the West has started throwing its weight around in international affairs to a worrying extent. From Afghanistan to Iraq, it has been toppling regimes that have not suited them. This western intervention in Libya on ‘humanitarian’ grounds is just not credible, especially when the country is a hub of crude oil. Syria and Iran could very easily be next if the West turns towards another colonialisation period in history.*