18/04/2019
A short piece today as I was driving for most of the day to go visit a friend interstate and had little time to write – but I still want to keep up the 1 post a day average! And what better way to keep it short by talking about the US in the Middle East?
Regardless of what you thought of Libya under the rule of Gadaffi, it cannot be denied that the US and NATO led invasion in 2011 was the catalyst that sent the country into a downward spiral. Tripoli has become a war zone, with many dead and displaced. What this tells us, as if it were not already clear, is that when the US and NATO involved themselves in the war, “peace” did not mean overthrowing a dictatorship for the betterment of the Libyan population. Instead, it follows the usual US foreign policy line of simply replacing an authoritarian government with an even ore brutal regime that is inclined to provide for US imperialist interests.
In Yemen, Congress has taken steps to drop US involvement in the Saudi led conflict, which has sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis since fighting began in 2014. The US (and others like the UK) has provided the Saudis with weapons and other support, and even had troops on the ground as early as 2015. Trump has vetoed both attempts by Congress to rein in this barbarity, and has been criticized for his close ties with the Royal Family – particularly MBS.
I would say it is cynical for me to believe that the only reason the US Congress wishes to back out of Yemen and distance itself, at least publicly, from the Saudis is because it has now become an unpopular topic among voters. I would say that, if it weren’t actually true. Many wars, from Vietnam to Iraq, have received bad press in the years following their origins, and the US government has been forced to give up (at least some) of its imperialist dreams.
In Yemen, the US’ only real interests is its relations with Saudi Arabia and the ‘threat’ of Iranian support on the peninsula, so with the public opposing friendly relations with the Saudis and opposition to the war effort, it makes sense to seem ‘peaceful’. In Libya, overthrowing a hostile regime, no matter the consequences, was also deemed ‘peaceful’ because it was the US’ enemies, not allies, committing crimes.
It’s a balancing act of hypocrisy, and one that is visible all over the globe where the US in involved.
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