Friday, September 9, 2011

Libya: The real war starts now

Gaddafi (left) vs Abdel Hakim Belhadj (right). Gaddafi could become the new «Lion of the Desert»

by Pepe Escoba


Political, economic and social instability in Libya did not end with the fall of Tripoli and the alleged victory of NATO rebels. Gaddafi’s decision to go underground has caught everyone by surprise. The current scenario is reminiscent of the life of Omar Mukhtar, the Libyan leader who struggled against Italian colonialism for nearly twenty years, from 1912 to 1931. Everything can still change in a country where most of the population hasn’t said its final word yet and the neo-colonial powers in place are very fragile.

Enough about The Big G’s downfall. Now comes the real nitty-gritty; Afghanistan 2.0, Iraq 2.0, or a mix of both.

The "NATO rebels" have always made sure they don’t want foreign occupation. But the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - which made the victory possible - can’t control Libya without boots on the ground. So multiple scenarios are now being gamed in NATO’s headquarters in Mons, Belgium - under a United Nations velvet cushion.

According to already leaked plans, sooner or later there may be troops from Persian Gulf monarchies and friendly allies such as Jordan and especially NATO member Turkey, also very keen to bag large commercial contracts. Hardly any African nations will be part of it - Libya now having being "relocated" to Arabia.

The Transitional National Council (TNC) will go for it - or forced to go for it - if, or when, Libya spirals into chaos. Still it will be an extremely hard sell - as the wildly disparate factions of "NATO rebels" are frantically consolidating their fiefdoms, and getting ready to turn on each other.

Article and video posted here

No comments: