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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Mar-2011
18-Mar-11 News -- UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth'

Web Log - March, 2011

18-Mar-11 News -- UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth'

Residents of Benghazi cheer the UN Security Council resolution

UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth'

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi's televised speech on Thursday, threatening that "the moment of truth had come" for Benghazi, motivated the United Nations Security Council to quickly approve a resolution permitting "all necessary means" to be used to prevent the "slaughter of civilians."

Defiant Benghazi residents shout angry slogans at Gaddafi, as they listen to his speech.

Defiant Benghazi residents shout angry slogans at Gaddafi, as they listen to his speech.

Early reports indicate that Gaddafi's air force is striking targets and dropping bombs in Benghazi, but that ground forces are still too far away. Commentators do not believe that Saif Gaddafi's claims on Wednesday of victory within 48 hours will be realized.

The U.N. vote was met with wild cheers and celebratory gunfire in Benghazi. Al-Jazeera is reporting is that Egypt began shipping weapons across the border to opposition fighters minutes after the U.N. vote. France says that air strikes will begin within hours.

The vote by the Security Council was 10-0, with five abstentions. The US, UK, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gabon, Lebanon, Nigeria, Colombia, South Africa and Portugal voted to approve the resolution, while China, Russia, Brazil, Germany and India abstained.

The following are the important excerpts from the UN resolution:

"The Security Council, ...
Expressing grave concern at the deteriorating situation, the escalation of violence, and the heavy civilian casualties, ...
Condemning the gross and systematic violation of human rights, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and summary executions, ...
Recalling the condemnation by the League of Arab States, the African Union, and the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference of the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that have been and are being committed in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, ...
4. Authorizes Member States that have notified the Secretary-General, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, and acting in cooperation with the Secretary-General, to take all necessary measures ... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory.
5. Recognizes the important role of the League of Arab States in matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security in the region, ... requests the Member States of the League of Arab States to cooperate with other Member States in the implementation of paragraph 4;
6. Decides to establish a ban on all flights in the airspace of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in order to help protect civilians; ...
13. Calls upon all Member States, in particular States of the region, ... in order to ensure strict implementation of the arms embargo ..., to inspect in their territory, including seaports and airports, and on the high seas, vessels and aircraft bound to or from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, if the State concerned has information that provides reasonable grounds to believe that the cargo contains items the supply, sale, transfer or export of which is prohibited, ... including the supply of armed mercenary personnel, calls upon all flag States of such vessels and aircraft to cooperate with such inspections and authorises Member States to use all measures commensurate to the specific circumstances to carry out such inspections; ...
17. Decides that all States shall deny permission to any aircraft registered in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or owned or operated by Libyan nationals or companies to take off from, land in or overfly their territory unless the particular flight has been approved in advance by the Committee, or in the case of an emergency landing; ..."

Commentators are indicating that the phrase "all necessary means" takes this much farther than the minimum necessary to establish a no-fly zone. However, the resolution specifically excludes ground troops, much to the relief of a lot of people.

Nonetheless, so much is allowed by this resolution, that almost anything can happen in the next few weeks.

Here's the rousing conclusion of Gaddafi's speech to the people of Benghazi earlier in the day, according to Al-Jazeera's live blog, where he refers to the opposition forces:

"They are finished, they are wiped out. From tomorrow you will only find our people. You all go out and cleanse the city of Benghazi. A small problem that has become an international issue. And they are voting on it tonight ... because they are determined. As I have said, we are determined. We will track them down, and search for them, alley by alley, road by road, the Libyan people all of them together will be crawling out. Massive waves of people will be crawling out to rescue the people of Benghazi, who are calling out for help, asking us to rescue them. We should come to their rescue.
And I, Muammar Gaddafi, I will die for my people. With Allah's help.
No more fear, no more hesitation, we are no longer reluctant. The moment of truth has come. If you see the cars with loudspeakers, destroy them, destroy their communications points that are spreading lies to you. Our children are the one's who have destroyed these planes.
Just like Franco in Spain, who rolled into Madrid with external support. And they asked how did you manage to liberate Madrid? He said: 'There was a fifth column, the people of the city.' You are the fifth column within the city. This is the day on which we should liberate the city. We've been looking forward to that day. And tomorrow we will communicate again, and our cause will continue towards the south.
With our bare chests and heads we were confronting the dangers, facing the challenge, we did not initiate this violence, they started it. Of course, these words will have an impact on the traitors and infidels. Tonight they will panic and they will collapse.
You are capable of doing it. You are capable of achieving this. Let's set our women and daughters free from those traitors.
God is great."

As we've seen in the past, Gaddafi seems to be deeply in denial about what's going on in Benghazi, and how unpopular he is.

In other news on Thursday, Reuters reports that Kuwait is sending its navy to Bahrain to protect Bahrain's waters. Kuwait is thus the second country from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), joining Saudi Arabia in injecting its armed forces into the growing Shia vs Sunni conflict in Bahrain.

It was just a few days ago that the United States administration had no position on a no-fly zone in Libya, and China, Russia and Germany were adamantly opposed.

From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, we're in a generational Crisis era, and the Middle East seems every day closer to an explosion. How quickly things can change in a Crisis era!

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 18-Mar-11 News -- UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth' thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (18-Mar-2011) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Mar-2011 18-Mar-11 News -- UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth'

UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth'

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Mar-2011
18-Mar-11 News -- UN declares war after Gaddafi threatens 'moment of truth'