How to Avoid Bush's Iraq Mistakes in Libya. The illegal American invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupation was so epochal a catastrophe that it spawned a negative phrase in Arabic, “to Iraqize” or `arqana.
Tonight I heard an Alarabiya anchor ask a spokesman for the new government in Libya whether there as a danger of the country being “Iraqized.” He was taken aback and asked her what she meant. Apparently she meant chaos, civil war, no services, etc. (Those Neoconservatives who trumpet their Iraq misadventure as a predecessor to the Arab Spring should take a lesson; no one cites Iraq among the youth movements except as an example of what must be avoided).
The Libyan intervention was legal in international law, authorized by the UN Security Council, and so can hope to have a better outcome. 1. The Qaddafi government collapsed in the east of the country in February, and Benghazi, al-Bayda, Dirna and Tobruk have been tolerably stable. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Islamic Law not a problem in Bush's Afghanistan & Iraq, but a Problem in Libya? George W.
Bush said of Iraq and Afghanistan,, “I’d like to be a president [known] as somebody who liberated 50 million people…” The 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan [pdf], drafted and passed under the rule of George W. Bush in that country, makes Islam the religion of state and forbids any law that contravenes the sharia or Muslim religious law (the official translations on the Web misleadingly render ahkam or religious laws with the word “provisions,” which hides the real intent of the constitution, so I have translated those passages more literally): “Article One Ch. 1. Art. 1: Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic, independent, unitary and indivisible state. A human rights report notes: “The Afghan Constitution and Islamic Sharia law both support polygamy, allowing men to take up to four wives. The constitution of Iraq, adopted in 2005 under the rule of George W.
Article 2: First: Islam is the official religion of the State and is the primary basis for legislation:A. Libya: The fall of Colonel Gaddafi. This is a compilation of all my blog posts relating to the Libyan uprising of 2011, together with a some articles I wrote for the Guardian, in chronological order.
Brian Whitaker Trouble in Libya Blog post, 16 Jan 2011 Just two days after the overthrow of President Ben Ali in Tunisia, videos are circulating of disturbances in neighbouring Libya. Needless to say, this is causing a good deal of excitement on Twitter. Colonel Gaddafi has been in power for almost 42 years, compared with a mere 23 for Ben Ali. "I am very pained by what is happening in Tunisia ... Almanara, a Libyan opposition website which appears to have Islamist leanings, has posted three videos of protesters in the city of al-Bayda. The facts are still rather unclear, but Almanara says the demonstrators clashed with security forces, threw stones at a government building and set fire to one of its offices. Will it develop into anything bigger? The tricky part is judging the significance of such protests when they occur. 1. Libya: How They Did It by Nicolas Pelham. Battle for Libya - Photographs. Gaddafi: The Endgame. South Korea ferry tragedy death toll rises#link# army convoy attacked in Peshawar#link# cuts whaling targets after UN ruling#link# guides killed as avalanche hits Everest#link# sentences anti-corruption activists#link# frees jailed Palestinian journalist#link# Denied: Palestinians decry detention#link# hit the right notes in Gaza#link# searched for abducted Nigerian girls#link# civilians in danger as deal breaks down#link# Bouteflika poised to win elections#link# discover Earth-like planet#link# apologises for S Korea ferry disaster#link# deal reached on Ukraine crisis#link# states agree deal to end Qatar tensions#link#
