Monday 21 March 2011

The Arab League

Well once again we are caught up in an uncertain military conflict and nobody seems to quite know who is in charge and what the ultimate aim will be? Once again we have charged in with guns blazing initially with the support of the Arab League but will we retain that support? They seem to be swithering and who can blame them?

Andrew Neil of the Daily Politics has just announced that yesterday he toured around London's diplomatic quarter and outside every single Arab Embassy there was a large demonstration. So it would appear that Arab leaders from most countries which form the Arab League are under pressure from popular movements for regime change. In some of these countries the protestors are being violently attacked by government troops imported from other countries. Well isn't that exactly what Gadaffi did?

So how can the Arab League support a 'No Fly Zone' over Libya when in most other arabic countries they are defeating popular revolutions by the same methods that were employed in Libya? Perhaps that is a little disingenuous because the potential for slaughter in Benghazi was much greater than elsewhere but the principle is the same.

I am concerned that, bearing in mind our present financial distress,we could have let ourselves in for a lengthy and expensive tour of duty over Western Libya. I am concerned that the supporters of the EU (ie the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties) whilst stripping our military assets to the bare bone are ensuring that what is left is tied up in military conflicts far from these shores. The Afghan War, which has achieved very little, is slowly grinding to a stalemate so perhaps it is time to find something else?

Ever since the EU became a prominent political force our troops have been used in spurious actions. Firstly Iraq, then Afghanistan and now Libya...I may be accused of cynicism but I don't believe in coincidence. Our politicians cannot agree on the eventual outcome or aim of our presence above Tripoli. It was the same with Iraq and with Afghanistan.  I repeat Libya had nothing to do with us! It is an Arab problem cause by the Arabic culture. We should never interfere in something we cannot understand.

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