"International Support For The Libyan War Is Collapsing"

[Xicano]

Mar. 22, 2011:

Support for Operation Odyssey Dawn is withering.

China, which abstained from voting for the UN resolution to bomb Libya, is now calling for an immediate cease-fire, according to the AP.

Yesterday, it emerged that Russia, which also abstained from voting, resisted pressure from Vladimir Putin to veto the resolution. Anyway, Russia has also called for an end to the airstrikes.

Italy has threatened to withdraw authorization for the use of its air bases.

Norway said its jets would not take part in the operation until the 'command and control structure' and 'rules of engagement' were clear.

The only consolation is that Operation Odyssey Dawn has already accomplished its major goals, taking out Qaddafi's air force and protecting Benghazi. Western forces will have no complaint with winding down airstrikes now.


http://www.businessinsider.com/libya-tuesday-march-22-2011-3

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. "Suppose they gave a war and nobody came"

[Brickbat]

2. Gosh, ALREADY?

We were just getting started!

[SoCalDem]

11. The public attention span is perhaps as long as a sitcom

Most people have little grasp of history, and are only affected by what the screaming heads on tv tell them.

TV "news shows" are just that...shows..

The prompter-readers salivate as a "war" is imminent..they get the rattatattat music ready, they design their graphics & then when it is underway, they start to pick the bones & kvetch about everything that happens, so that the "viewers" now get second thoughts.

Knowing "too much" too soon about a military action, by too many undereducated, hyper-excitable people may not always be a good thing..:(

Try to imagine is the same criteria had been used for WWII?

[EFerrari]

18. Under educated hyper excitable people aren't the problem in this situation.

They didn't call in any bombing runs.

[SoCalDem]

20. True, they did not, but they are the desired audience of the media we have

so the "shows" try harder and harder to keep them tuned in..

Every time we undertake an "adventure" like this I always wonder what our CIA is doing these days :shrug:.

We always seem to start stuff first, and THEN try to learn about the place we just "helped"..

[EFerrari]

22. TPTB don't seem to care one way or another what we think, imo.

CIA, DIA, and all the alphabet agencies probably do have people at the outlets (remember that program that put CIA in as "interns"?) but even so, when public opinion turns against a military action, it doesn't seem to make a lick of difference.

[Catherina]

26. I know. Our submarines just got there! n/t

[Distant Observer]

3. Everyone was asked to allow a "no fly zone." But West pushed through a WAR resolution

[gratuitous]

4. No problem; we can go it alone

Or, we just cut and run, knowing that Gadhafi is, like, totally pwned and won't dare do anything against the citizens who continue to protest his regime. Now, just be a good little dictator, Moammar, because it's time for the finals in American Idol, and we have our priorities. Don't go killing your own citizens just because our back is turned, 'k?

[krabigirl]

5. Oops. What a mistake.

[Modern_Matthew]

6. Good. nt

[orwell]

7. Why didn't...

...Russia and China veto the UN Resolution?

One veto would have stopped it all before it began...

[GSLevel9]

8. rich... fucking rich.

:rofl:

[DevonRex]

9. Those bastions of democracy (hahaha) were never on board. Stupid article.

[damntexdem]

10. But the truly revealing thing is that they didn't veto it.

Now they're trying to play both sides. Ignore those hypocrites.

[ReggieVeggie]

12. well, there goes your whole "international effort" argument

[EFerrari]

17. Yep. And this is after the Arab League bailed

and the African Union objected, iirc.

Who does that leave? The Brits and the French and Canada? Or should I say, the usual suspects.

[Catherina]

27. You said it well-the usual suspects.

France could bail soon. I don't know if they will but Sarkozy's on very shaky political ground already and has a huge Arab population.

[DevonRex]

30. Russia and china have to be involved before it's international???

OMG. Hahahahaha. None of the other countries count? Ridiculous.

[Ignis]

41. AKA, "You forgot Poland!"

:eyes:

[DevonRex]

42. France is Poland?

[Ignis]

44. If War is Peace, then sure, why not?

[malaise]

47. I did not forget Poland

I mentioned Poland on day one. :rofl:

[ReggieVeggie]

43. the other countries that are now having second thoughts?

do you read these posts before you comment?

[Xithras]

49. You don't keep up on current political and economic theory do you? Heard of BRICK?

The current economic powers have been sliding for decades and show no signs of stopping, while a number of rapidly expanding countries have seen economic explosions built on sustainable foundations, and are now investing in military hardware to match it. Everyone from the head of the UN to Goldman Sachs agrees that the BRICKS will displace the G7 countries as the global power wielders by 2050, and that nations like the U.S. will largely take a back seat to the new powers.

Brazil
Russia
India
China
(and sometimes)
Korea

These nations are rapidly becoming the real seats of power in the world, and ignoring their opinions is counterproductive to our own long term success.

[WatsonT]

16. So what exactly does international support mean?

Not snarky, real question.

[Catherina]

28. It was our cover to pretend we were reluctantly going along with our own PNAC plans. n/t

[DevonRex]

31. The 10 nations who voted for it would comprise

An international coalition.

[WatsonT]

50. Ten nations

several of whom have vested financial interests.

Ten nations. Out of nearly 200.

Truly a consensus has been reached.

[JackRiddler]

33. Who is Bastian and why are you blaming him?

[DevonRex]

35. Whoever he is he can't spell.

;)

Funny but I seller it correctly earlier.

[rabs]

13. Yesterday morning, after Obama left Rio de Janeiro enroute to Chile

The Brazilian government called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya.

Many Brazlians were not happy that Obama had chosen Brazilian soil to declare his "war."

Brazil was one of the nations that abstained in the U.N. SC resolution.

[Tx4obama]

39. Obama did not declare a ''war'' in Brazil.

The French fired shots in Libya BEFORE Obama ever even landed in Brazil.
The UN mission started BEFORE President Obama was in Brazil.

[dkofos]

14. The clusterfuck has begun!!

[WatsonT]

15. So the war was moral because the UNSC supported it

(or so I've heard). Does it become immoral if a member decides to veto the resolution now?

[Spider Jerusalem]

19. Misleading article

China and Russia never supported it. Hence their abstention in the Security Council vote. As permanent members they could have exercised their veto; they didn't.

[EFerrari]

21. Not misleading in the least. Two abstentions have turned into

two calls for a ceasefire.

[Spider Jerusalem]

23. Yes, misleading.

And they should've exercised their veto power. Instead they washed their hands of the issue. THey should be calling on Gaddafi for a cease-fire and to actually honour it instead of continuing the assault under cover of halting operations. Which he hasn't done and shows no sign of doing.

[EFerrari]

25. The article doesn't misrepresent their positions in any way. n/t

[Spider Jerusalem]

34. Sure it does.

Right there in the headline. And in the first sentence. "International Support is Collapsing"/"Support...is withering". Neither of them supported it in the first place therefore their continued lack of support does not constitute a "collapse".

[EFerrari]

37. They moved from neutrality to opposition.

And now Germany is pulling out of Nato operations in the area.

Whatever.

[Bluerthanblue]

45. why not veto in the first place? or vote no?

sorry, but the fact that Germany and Russia are unsupportive is NOT news.

If they felt so strongly that this was not a good move, they should have had the courage of their conviction and voted NO at the very least.

They have every right to their view- but trying to make like this is some kind of surprising or upsetting news is kind of silly.

[malaise]

24. It is fucking madness

Get out of Libya Western imperialists

[Catherina]

29. Give it time. Pretty soon it will just be us, the UK and Israel n/t

[Desertrose]

38. I think you called it about right.....

Sadly.

:hug:

[Raksha]

40. I hope you're wrong about that. But I'm so afraid you're right. n/t

[Bluerthanblue]

48. I'm bookmarking this-

If it turns out you are right I'll start an OP to point out-

I think you are wrong-

[JVS]

32. LOL! Congratulations, we've stepped in it now.

If rebels don't win, Khaddafi will make deals with China and Russia and we lose the oil.

If rebels do win but need our ongoing support to win, then we come across looking like imperialists and this can be used against us in other arenas.


This is exactly why you're supposed to weigh your options before blowing shit up.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

36. Another glorious war. Another glorious FUBAR. Shall it be called The Keystone Koalition?

We're batting a hundred. Iraq, Afghanistan, now Libya.

[ProgressIn2008]

46. Guess the humanitarian fever cooled a little? Fancy that. nt

[GeorgeGist]

51. Mission Accomplished