In Gaddafi's stronghold, enemies of the state begin to find a voice (click title to entry - thank you)
As the Western onslaught intensifies, Donald Macintyre sees cracks appearing in the regime's support – even in Tripoli
Thursday, 24 March 2011
..."The problem before was that no one trusted anybody. There might be three of you and you would be frightened one would tell; now there is just a little more trust [among active opponents of the regime]," he says. He thinks those on the missions to impose the no fly-zone have been doing a "good job" and that there is every chance that Gaddafi will fall; perhaps he will even commit suicide.
Some of his claims, and those of other opponents, are just as hard to verify as the regime's: that the young "volunteers" are paid to form the loyalist militias, that they are wired on drugs and alcohol, that bodies were brought from the fighting in Zawiyah to be used as evidence of civilian casualties from the bombing. But while he says that only 25 per cent really support him, there are those, particularly young people who have never known any other leader, who "think he's in their blood"....
Although not literally, but definately of concern is the actual 'condition' of the Libyan people. Not a disease of the body, but, perhaps of the mind. Not drugs. Not alcohol. Although that is always a possibility, but, of the spirit.
In more ways that I care to mention post Gadaffi Libya is somewhat like Post-War Germany after WWII. Not to that extreme, but, none the less mired in Anti-Americanism and Anti-everything else that would inhibit any real reconstruction.
Post War Germany needed history books that were accurate and all kinds of social rehabilitation before the people could begin to adhere to a new standard of loyalty to a government of benevolence.
Post War Germany needed 'gatekeeper' nations. Libya needs gatekeeper nations.
Seriously. To arm Libyans would be to cause to many potential problems such as religious clashes, ethnic clashes and who knows what else. If The West cringes at the cruelties of Gadaffi, then cring. Because what the coalition doesn't know is if the Libyans were armed they might have 'discriminations' against one another that would never result in peace, prosperity or anything that resembles it. It could end up being a waste of war and nothing more.
It would be a gross misjudgement to supply any Libyan faction with arms against another.
Gadaffi will fall. That should be good enough for now. We are saving lives everyday.
