As western powers threaten to use armed force to topple Libya's leader, Col Muammar Gdaffi, International observers call for caution and suspect their motives could be anything but altruistic. The U.S. moved naval and air forces closer to Libya and said all options were open, including patrols of the North African nation's skies to protect its citizens from their ruler.
France said it would fly aid to the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country. The European Union imposed an arms embargo and other sanctions, following the lead of the U.S. and the U.N. The EU was also considering the creation of a no-fly zone over Libya.
And the U.S. and Europe were freezing billions in Libya's foreign assets.
But an international analyst told Elombah.com the Arabs may have shot themselves in the foot with their latest revolution. "Right now, they have no viable government inn Tunisia, Egypt and Libya which makes them easy pickings for the imperialist Europeans to siphon off their oil wealth," he said.
International pressure on Moammar Gadhafi to end a crackdown on opponents escalated Monday as his loyalists fought rebels holding the two cities closest to the capital and his warplanes bombed an ammunition depot in the east.
"Gadhafi has lost the legitimacy to govern, and it is time for him to go without further violence or delay," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. "No option is off the table. That of course includes a no-fly zone," she added.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told lawmakers: "We do not in any way rule out the use of military assets" to deal with Gadhafi's regime.
But another commentator told Elombah.com, "the Al Jazeera revolution coupled with Facebook and Tweeters will certainly render the Arab nations leaderless for the next 10 years. The west deceived the Arabs with a promise of good governance but ended up with chaos which is a vital ingredient for exploitation".
Commenting on David Cameron's explicit threat of military action against Colonel Gaddafi's dictatorship in Libya another asked; have you finished the messy wars your predecessor started in Afghan and Iraq yet? when did David Cameron's 'rights' extend to Libya? Yes, the Libyans are fighting for their rights. For Christ's sake, leave them to it. After all, they have gained acres of territory thus far without some 'oil thirsty' crook from outer space sneaking in under the cover of 'fighting for them! Tell him to go to Sierra Leone where his help is much needed...but ha, I forgot, there ain't 'No Oil' over there!"
Meanwhile Government opponents in rebel-held Zawiya repelled an attempt by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi to retake the city closest to the capital in six hours of fighting overnight, witnesses said Tuesday.
The rebels, who included defected army forces, are armed with tanks, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. They fought back pro-Gadhafi troops, armed with the same weapons, who attacked from six directions. There was no word on casualties in Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli.
"We will not give up Zawiya at any price," said one witness. "We know it is significant strategically. They will fight to get it, but we will not give up. We managed to defeat them because our spirits are high and their spirits are zero."
Gadhafi, Libya's ruler of 41 years, has already lost control of the eastern half of the country since protests demanding his ouster began two weeks ago. He still holds the capital Tripoli and nearby cities.
The witnesses said youths from Zawiya were stationed on the rooftops of high-rise buildings in the city to monitor the movements of the pro-Gadhafi forces and sound the warning if they though an attack was imminent. They also spoke about generous offers of cash by the regime for the rebels to hand control of the city back to authorities.
Gadhafi has launched the most brutal crackdown of any Arab regime facing a wave of anti-government uprisings spreading quickly around the Middle East. But international pressure to end the crackdown has escalated dramatically in the past few days.
Finally, Dr. Shungu M. Tundanonga-Dikunda, Public & Policy Affairs Consultant said:
Imperialism's interest in Libya is not hard to find. Bloomberg.com wrote on Feb. 22 that while Libya is Africa's third-largest producer of oil, it has the continent's largest proven reserves - 44.3 billion barrels. It is a country with a relatively small population but the potential to produce huge profits for the giant oil companies. That's how the super-rich look at it, and that's what underlies their professed concern for the people's democratic rights in Libya.
Getting concessions out of Gadhafi is not enough for the imperialist oil barons. They want a government that they can own outright, lock, stock and barrel. They have never forgiven Gadhafi for overthrowing the monarchy and nationalizing the oil.
Fidel Castro of Cuba in his column "Reflections" takes note of imperialism's hunger for oil and warns that the U.S. is laying the basis for military intervention in Libya.
In the U.S., some forces are trying to mobilize a street-level campaign promoting such U.S. intervention. We should oppose this outright and remind any well-intentioned people of the millions killed and displaced by U.S. intervention in Iraq.
This is dangerous!
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