when you write that the libyan people certainly won't be in charge of their wealth, i imagine you are stating that the western powers behind nato and the global north will be?
if that is your apprehension, then maybe there is some ground for those in favor or and those opposed to the use of nato force to meet.
on the one hand, i want to ask, who is in charge of nigerian oil, saudi oil, kuwaiti oil, iraqi oil, etc. and simultaneously, who is in charge of russian, american, british oil etc.
the answers become complex because on the on hand, i imagine we would want to answer, of course the saudis are in charge of their oil, just as ghaddafi was and as the u.s. is.
but i am american, and i don't feel any possession of american oil. i don't imagine any meaningful statement that puts the ownership in the hands of the nation-state, not the govt, and certainly not us, the people. it is the owners of the wells and refineries, who not only own that oil, but own a large portion of influence in the govt, and set that ownership and influence against us. (i am thinking of taxation, pollution, and ultimately support for retrograde politicians)
who befitted from the oil wealth in libya? who obtained some of the trickle down wealth? that seems pretty clear, and although the relationship to the state is slightly different, there is a common thread. ghaddafi and his class had the wealth to play with; we have the same clique here.
in all these answers, i don't see the global north as playing a simple imperialist, much less mercantilist role of ownership.
yet i agree that the conditions of trade continue to play to the advantage of the major oil companies and their subsidiaries, to their interests.
it is too simple to reduce this relationship to a straight neocolonial one, as i think i hear some imply on this list. i prefer to try to understand it in terms of global capital, where there are wealthy classes who own and control capital, and others who pay for the privilege of being ruled by them.
once in a blue moon the people get tired of paying. we saw that one lone man in tunisia got tired of paying, and lay down his life. that started this revolt.
i would want us to be in solidarity with him, to figure out how to do so whether we live and are employed in the global north or south.
ken
On 8/27/11 9:27 AM, Lily Owusu-darkwa wrote:
Corrected a minor error
--Gaskia, thanks for your well written piece.
I was calling attention to NATO's invasion and Congressman Kucinick admonishment. I am not against the people of Libya reclaiming their voices and taking back their land from 42 or so years of harrowing brutality that have left silenced them and denied them of the fruits of their land. The point that I take from Kucinick is the "gangsterism" and GREED of the new world order and the place of Africa or its people and those considered "disposable" and collaterally justifiable if damaged. The point that Kucinick also made in an interview was, "in whose name is NATO fighting"? This is an important question. Certainly, he surmised the obvious, OIL has everything to do with this invasion as Libya produces over 1 TRILLION dollars of the black gold a year. Who will ultimately be in charge of this hugemongous wealth? Certainly not the people of Libya. I also cannot support or justify any intervention where human beings are used as collateral damage especially, by forces using drones and at safe distance in the sky claiming precision strikes. There is nothing precise about this human slaughter, especially by an organization that history has shown does not have the people they claim to protect at the center of their calculations. A Libyan dissident in London called for the uprising of his people against Ghadafi and violently opposed any foriegn intervention, his words were, "this is a Libyan crisis and the Libyan people need to solve this themselves and not NATO or under other bilateral arrangments."
I think that voice should count and many other voices, for they are aware of the ulterior motives of foreign interventions and, in most cases, the renaming of the ordinary as exception to allow their extra-judicial undertakings.
Lily.
Sent from my iPad--Yes indeed the Libyan problem is an African problem, just as it is equally an Arab problem, a Middle east problem, and most significantly, a problem for all struggling humanity.That some africans chose not to see the global human dimension of the problem in the sense of oppressed humanity fighting for liberation and emancipation is sad indeed.That some africans chose to see only imperialism and NATO, and not oppressive dictatorship and the immense majority of an oppressed nation in rebellion is not only an intellectual bankrupty, but it is also intellectual nepotism.Was the Libyan regime qualitatively different from the Tunisian, Egyptian or Syrian regime that it should merit such exceptional treatment? Excepting the fact of NATO's direct intervention, is the Libyan uprising qualitatively different from the other uprisings of which it is a part? Is the Libyan uprising less worthy of our international solidarity [and i speak of all those who are against the current unjust nature of global relations of power between countries and within countries] than those of their neighbours simply because their own dictator is Gaddaffi and not Mubarak?Why in the face of all that has been revealed, not by the western media, but by the regime itself, should anyone still consider the Gadaffi regime anything but a dynastic autocracy living off parasitically on the common wealth of the Libyan people?How did we come to this pass, that at a period, when great monumental historic processes of change are being undertaken by ordinary people, we chose to self limit ourselves to an absolutisation of imperialist manouvers and on that basis isolate and leave historic uprisings to their own devices?It seems to me that the characterisation of regimes and systems over which they preside should be based on the concrete expression of the actions and inactions of such a regime, and not on the revolutionary pretentions of its leader or supreme leader.And let us turn to Nigeria, like humanity elsewhere on the globe, we have, we are, and we will fight off our misrulers; and while we will not accept imperialist help, we will not cease our struggle, simply because imperialism in response to our uprising begins to describe our leaders in the terms as we are describing them.Regards,Jaye Gaskia
From: "Dompere, Kofi Kissi" <kdompere@Howard.edu>
To: "'usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com'" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 10:04 PM
Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Congressman Dennis Kucinick on Libya
That Libya problem is an African problem is unquestionable! That other Africans in this forum do not see it that way is sad!! That other Africans do not see the Westernneocolonial ambitions is an intellectual bankruptcy and pitiful!!! That other Africans do not see the evil of NATO as a robber is equally sad and pitiful!!!! That other Africans do not see that the next armed robbery will take place in Nigeria is spiritually bankrupt!!!!!This intensification of the neocolonial ambitions by the Western imperial club with institutional support by The UN, The World Bank, The IMF and others is just beginning.May peace rest in justice.KOFI
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of omosunsly@yahoo.comLibya problem is Africa problem. It just beginning
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 3:17 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Congressman Dennis Kucinick on Libya
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.From: lily owusu-darkwa <lily.odarkwa@gmail.com>Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:10:35 -0400ReplyTo: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.comSubject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Congressman Dennis Kucinick on LibyaPlease read Congressman Dennis Kucinick on NATO's intervention. He raises pertinent and difficult questions that those who called for this invasion must be able to answer. I particularly like the last line, "can you imagine what the people of Libya will get?"
Lily.
US lawmaker: NATO must account for Libyan deaths
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/08/23/kucinich-on-nato-in-libya-gangsterism/
As much of the world celebrated the apparent fall of Libya's Col. Gaddafi, Kucinich on Tuesday released a statement calling for NATO commanders to be hauled before the International Criminal Court.
"If members of the Gaddafi Regime are to be held accountable, NATO's top commanders must also be held accountable through the International Criminal Court for all civilian deaths resulting from bombing," said the seven-term Cleveland congressman.
"Otherwise, we will have witnessed the triumph of a new international gangsterism."
Kucinich delivered a spirited defense of the dictator's foreign policy while claiming he does not "sympathize with Colonel Gaddafi's brutality." He also seemed to blame foreign investment for social conditions that led to the anti-Gaddafi rebellion.
"On December 19, 2003, Libya voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapon-making capability and on January 6, 2004 ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty," he wrote. "Its relationship with the US on the mend, Libya then opened up to international investment and began the wholesale privatization of its industries, leading to massive unemployment and dissatisfaction with the state of things, particularly among younger Libyans."
Kucinich charged that the U.S. and its NATO allies "deliberately avoided" a negotiated settlement with Gadaffi's regime and "illegally pursued regime change."
"NATO chose sides, intervened in a civil war and morphed into the air force for the rebels, who could not have succeeded but for NATO's attacks," he added.
Kucinich is likely to lose his seat as Ohio downsizes by two congressional districts.
He has been a constant visitor to Washington, lately delivering a New Age-style speech to Hempfest and talking populist to the Washington State Labor Council's annual convention.
But Kucinich has also found time to visit Syria, talking with that country's embattled dictator President Assad.
In March, Kucinich suggested that President Obama was committing "an impeachable offense" by authorizing air strikes on Libya.
Kucinich had earlier called for impeachment investigations against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. In his latest statement, he deploys against Obama the same hyperbole used on his Republican predecessor:
"As the Administration indulges itself with wars in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan — spending hundreds of billions of dollars on military adventurism — the United States has massive economic problems at home," he said.
"The Amerian people get myths, rhetoric and unemployment while war profiteers get the gold. Can you imagine what the people of Libya will get."
--
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-- kenneth w. harrow professor of english michigan state university department of english east lansing, mi 48824-1036 ph. 517 803 8839 harrow@msu.edu
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