It is doubtful Western elites shared the optimism of President Obama when he recently announced that the end of Moammar Gadhafi means control of Libya's destiny will devolve to its "people."
Nothing causes so much fear among the elite as the prospect of a nation controlled by its people.
Nothing causes so much fear among the elite as the prospect of a nation controlled by its people.
The fear becomes more acute when that nation is sitting on top of a valuable resource and located in the most volatile region in the world. Libya might be on the fringe of the Middle East, but people-controlled government there could reignite demand for change in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Change in Libya has been under the protective power of NATO and the United States.
Recently, the U. S. fired more than a dozen unmanned drones in the final push to oust Gadhafi.
The cost to the U. S. taxpayer for the Libyan operation now exceeds $1 billion.
Change in Libya has been under the protective power of NATO and the United States.
Recently, the U. S. fired more than a dozen unmanned drones in the final push to oust Gadhafi.
The cost to the U. S. taxpayer for the Libyan operation now exceeds $1 billion.
That's okay. More drones and bombs means a better GDP at the end of the year.
NATO and U. S. military assistance was never intended to ensure that the people of Libya succeeded in gaining control of their government. "Rebel" forces would have never gotten the help they did if it wasn't clear from the start that they were willing to swear fealty to Western plutocrats.
The Libyan story is the same tale that's been told since Western governments and their well-connected benefactors started pushing their weight around the last 500 years. It's just the latest chapter in this tale.
Whenever there's a valuable resource or strategic location to be exploited, the standard plan has been to make sure the guy in power is on your payroll and willing to take orders. It doesn't matter what he does to his people or his neighbors, so long as he's giving you access to whatever is valuable.
If he refuses to play the game or goes rogue after being a loyal employee for many years, like Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega or Ngo Dinh Diem, you get rid of him. Count on state-controlled media to send past associations down the Memory Hole.
It really works the same in this country, except that the transition of real power and control to the elites was gradual and far less violent. The American people reaffirm and support this silent coup every election day.
Predictability is what matters. Look at Wall Street. They don't care who sits in the White House or Congress so long as they know that whenever they take a serious hit the taxpayers will be shaken down to make good their losses. They already got the Federal Reserve on their side. The federal government is extra insurance. Heads they win; tails we lose. It’s the same idea projected into every corner of the Earth.
Libya will be purged of Gadhafi. Its government will be reformed by Libyan people. They just won't really represent the "people." They can't. The guys in the West who write the checks won't allow it.
NATO and U. S. military assistance was never intended to ensure that the people of Libya succeeded in gaining control of their government. "Rebel" forces would have never gotten the help they did if it wasn't clear from the start that they were willing to swear fealty to Western plutocrats.
The Libyan story is the same tale that's been told since Western governments and their well-connected benefactors started pushing their weight around the last 500 years. It's just the latest chapter in this tale.
Whenever there's a valuable resource or strategic location to be exploited, the standard plan has been to make sure the guy in power is on your payroll and willing to take orders. It doesn't matter what he does to his people or his neighbors, so long as he's giving you access to whatever is valuable.
If he refuses to play the game or goes rogue after being a loyal employee for many years, like Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega or Ngo Dinh Diem, you get rid of him. Count on state-controlled media to send past associations down the Memory Hole.
It really works the same in this country, except that the transition of real power and control to the elites was gradual and far less violent. The American people reaffirm and support this silent coup every election day.
Predictability is what matters. Look at Wall Street. They don't care who sits in the White House or Congress so long as they know that whenever they take a serious hit the taxpayers will be shaken down to make good their losses. They already got the Federal Reserve on their side. The federal government is extra insurance. Heads they win; tails we lose. It’s the same idea projected into every corner of the Earth.
Libya will be purged of Gadhafi. Its government will be reformed by Libyan people. They just won't really represent the "people." They can't. The guys in the West who write the checks won't allow it.
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