Community | March 23, 2011 | 55 comments

On Libya: Instead of Bombing Dictators, Stop Selling Them Bombs

source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/03/20/remarks-president-libya-today-we-are-part-broad-co...

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pinkpanther
By Medea Benjamin and Charles Davis

When all you have is bombs, everything starts to look like a target. And so after years of providing Libya's dictator with the weapons he's been using against the people, all the international community -- France, Britain and the United States -- has to offer the people of Libya is more bombs, this time dropped from the sky rather than delivered in a box to Muammar Gaddafi's palace.

If the bitter lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan has taught us anything, though, it's that wars of liberation exact a deadly toll on those they purportedly liberate -- and that democracy doesn't come on the back of a Tomahawk missile.

President Barack Obama announced his latest peace-through-bombs initiative last week -- joining ongoing U.S. conflicts and proxy wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia -- by declaring he could not "stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people that there will be no mercy, and... where innocent men and women face brutality and death at the hands of their own government."

Within 24 hours of the announcement, more than 110 U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired into Libya, including the capital Tripoli, reportedly killing dozens of innocent civilians -- as missiles, even the "smart" kind, are wont to do. According to the New York Times, allied warplanes with "brutal efficiency" bombed "tanks, missile launches and civilian cars, leaving a smoldering trail of wreckage that stretched for miles."

"[M]any of the tanks seemed to have been retreating," the paper reported. That's the reality of the no-fly zone and the mission creep that started the moment it was enacted: bombing civilians and massacring retreating troops. And like any other war, it's not pretty.

While much of the media presents an unquestioning, sanitized version of the war -- cable news hosts more focused on interviewing retired generals about America's fancy killing machines than the actual, bloody facts on the ground -- the truth is that wars, even liberal-minded "humanitarian" ones, entail destroying people and places. Though cloaked in altruism that would be more believable were we dealing with monasteries, not nation-states, the war in Libya is no different. And innocents pay the price.

If protecting civilians from evil dictators were the goal, though -- as opposed to, say, safeguarding natural resources and the investments of major oil companies -- there's an easier, safer way than aerial bombardment for the U.S. and its allies to consider: Simply stop arming and propping up evil dictators. After all, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi reaped the benefits from Western nations all too eager to cozy up to and rehabilitate the image of a dictator with oil, with those denouncing him today as a murderous tyrant just a matter of weeks ago selling him the very arms his regime has been using to suppress the rebellion against it.

In 2009 alone, European governments -- including Britain and France -- sold Libya more than $470 million worth of weapons, including fighter jets, guns and bombs. And before it started calling for regime change, the Obama administration was working to provide the Libyan dictator another $77 million in weapons, on top of the $17 million it provided in 2009 and the $46 million the Bush administration provided in 2008.

Meanwhile, for dictatorial regimes in Yemen, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, U.S. support continues to this day. On Saturday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even gave the U.S. stamp of approval to the brutal crackdown on protesters in Bahrain, saying the country's authoritarian rulers "obviously" had the "sovereign right" to invite troops from Saudi Arabia to occupy their country and carry out human rights abuses, which included attacks on injured protesters as they lay in their hospital beds.

In Yemen, which has received more than $300 million in military aid from the U.S. over the last five years, the Obama administration continues to support corrupt thug and president-for-life Ali Abdullah Saleh, who recently ordered a massacre of more than 50 of his own citizens who dared protest his rule. And this support has allowed the U.S. can carry out its own massacres under the auspices of the war on terror, with one American bombing raid last year taking out 41 Yemeni civilians, including 14 women and 21 children, according to Amnesty International.

Rather than engage in cruise missile liberalism, Obama could save lives by immediately ending support for these brutal regimes. But for U.S. administrations, both Democratic and Republican, arms sales appear to trump liberation. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute documented that Washington accounted for 54 percent of arms sales to Persian Gulf states between 2005 and 2009.

Last September, the Financial Times reported that the U.S. had struck deals to provide Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman with $123 billion worth of arms. The repressive monarchy of Saudi Arabia accounts for over half that figure, with it set to receive $67 billion worth of weapons, including 84 F-15 jets, 70 Apache gunships, 72 Black Hawk helicopters, 36 light helicopters and thousands of laser-guided smart bombs - the largest weapons deal in U.S. history.

Instead of forking over $150 million a day to the weapons industry to attack Libya or selling $67 billion in weapons to the Saudis so they can repress not just their own people, but those of Bahrain, we -- the ones being asked to forgo Social Security to help pay for empire -- should demand those who purport to represent us in Washington stop arming dictators in our name. That might drain some bucks from the merchants of death, but it would give nonviolent protesters throughout the Middle East a fighting chance to liberate themselves.

The U.S. government need not drop a single bomb in the Middle East to help liberate oppressed people. All it need do is stop selling bombs to their oppressors.
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55 comments // On Libya: Instead of Bombing Dictators, Stop Selling Them Bombs

  • WagonMaster
    • +1
      WagonMaster  

    • Fact Check: The leading industry in the USA is manufacturing and selling arms to foreign countries no matter what the political leanings of that country happen to be. You got the scratch, we got the gun. Our arms sales should be no surprise to anyone and hardly a reason to yell about it. We've always done it. Been going on since 1776. Is it right? No. Is the business good for the economy? Yes. Classic rock and a hard spot.

    • 1 year ago
  • KB723
  • theknopfknows
    • +2
      theknopfknows  

    • ARM SALES ARE OVER 68% of AMERICAN ECONOMY if your good with hammer or you have created no other options then, everything looks like a nail, the endless war is what you think you need.

    • 1 year ago
  • August_K
    • +1
      August_K  

    • Our leaders don't call the shots. The ones that profit from sales of those weapons and profit from their access to the oil are the ones calling the shots.
      It's a global chess game. Profits = power and sadly our military is used for private profiteering but our "leaders" try real hard to paint a different picture for us.

      What happens when the oil bearing countries that we've armed to the max decide to not sell us oil anymore because they want to keep what little is left for themselves?

      We reached peak oil a while back.
      We've been on the downhill side for a while now and with our global population going from 2 Billion in 1950 to about 8 Billion now how long before we start wars with former allies over what little oil is left?

      We really, really need to get some people into office that want to seriously invest in alternative energy. We know the GOP isn't interested. They wouldn't even cut the oil subsidies to big oil out of their version of the budget bill ......so please remember that in 2012.
      We need to DEMAND real investment in different energy sources.....threaten recalls if they lie just to get elected.

    • 1 year ago
  • KB723
    • +1
      KB723  
    • August_K:

      I really Dig your Idea at a new way forward. However, if per chance you want to, or even include the GOP. I am already ordering flowers for your last Hurrah.

    • 1 year ago
  • KB723
    • 0
      KB723  
    • August_K:

      I forgot to add Props for your av... I bet you have a Bridge that's NOT for sale as well.... Please google North American Union/Lou Dobbs..... Maybe I want to see YOUR Birth Certificate!!!!

    • 1 year ago
  • Vierotchka
    • -1
      Vierotchka  

    • The problem is that Gaddafi already has such a large stock of bombs that he can wipe out most of the population of Libya, which he intends to do - so not selling any more bombs to Libya won't make a difference in the current slaughter.

    • 1 year ago
  • xena
  • shanghaiz
    • +1
      shanghaiz  

    • every missile launched is a few thousand each in personal pocket of those who peddle them. think they are going to give that up? how nice the Brits have torn through their inventory of tomahawks and need more.

    • 1 year ago
  • treewolf39
    • 0
      treewolf39  
    • Image
    • ArchDruid:

      Tomahawk® Cruise Missile
      Description
      The Tomahawk® Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is an all-weather, long range, subsonic cruise missile used for land attack warfare, launched from U. S. Navy surface ships and U.S. Navy and Royal Navy submarines.
      Features
      Tomahawk carries a nuclear or conventional payload. The conventional, land-attack, unitary variant carries a 1,000-pound-class warhead (TLAM-C) while the submunitions dispenser variant carries 166 combined-effects bomblets (TLAM-D). The Block III version incorporates engine improvements, an insensitive extended range warhead, time-of-arrival control and navigation capability using an improved Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator (DSMAC) and Global Positioning System (GPS) — which can significantly reduce mission-planning time and increase navigation and terminal accuracy. Tomahawk Block IV (TLAM-E) is the latest improvement to the Tomahawk missile family. Block IV capability enhancements include: (a) increased flexibility utilizing two-way satellite communications to reprogram the missile in-flight to a new aimpoint or new preplanned mission, send a new mission to the missile en route to a new target, and missile health and status messages during the flight; (b) increased responsiveness with faster launch timelines, mission planning capability aboard the launch platform, loiter capability in the area of emerging targets, the ability to provide battle damage indication in the target area, and the capability to provide a single-frame image of the target or other areas of interest along the missile flight path; and (c) improved affordability with a production cost of a Block IV significantly lower than the cost of a new Block III and a 15-year Block IV recertification interval compared to the eight-year interval for Block III.
      Background
      Tomahawk® cruise missiles are designed to fly at extremely low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and are piloted over an evasive route by several mission tailored guidance systems. The first operational use was in Operation Desert Storm, 1991, with immense success. The missile has since been used successfully in several other conflicts. In 1995 the governments of the United States and United Kingdom signed a Foreign Military Sales Agreement for the acquisition of 65 missiles, marking the first sale of Tomahawk® to a foreign country.
      Point Of Contact
      Program Executive Office, Strike Weapons and Unmanned Aviation [PEO (W)]
      Public Affairs Office
      http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2200&tid=1300&ct=2
      Naval Air Station
      Patuxent River, Maryland 20670-1547
      phone: 301-757-9703
      General Characteristics
      Primary Function: Long-range subsonic cruise missile for striking high value or heavily defended land targets.
      Contractor: Raytheon Systems Company, Tucson, AZ.
      Date Deployed: Block II TLAM-A IOC - 1984
      Block III – IOC 1994
      Block IV – IOC expected 2004.
      Unit Cost: Approximately $569,000 (FY99 $).
      Propulsion: Block II/III TLAM-A, C & D - Williams International F107 cruise turbo-fan engine; ARC/CSD solid-fuel booster
      Length: 18 feet 3 inches (5.56 meters); with booster: 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 meters).
      Diameter: 20.4 inches (51.81 cm).
      Wingspan: 8 feet 9 inches (2.67 meters).
      Weight: 2,900 pounds (1,315.44 kg); 3,500 pounds (1,587.6 kg) with booster.
      Speed: Subsonic - about 550 mph (880 km/h).
      Range: Block II TLAM-A – 1350 nautical miles (1500 statute miles, 2500 km)
      Block III TLAM-C - 900 nautical miles (1000 statute miles, 1600 km)
      Block III TLAM-D - 700 nautical miles (800 statute miles, 1250 km
      Block IV TLAM-E - 900 nautical miles (1000 statute miles, 1600 km)
      Guidance System: Block II TLAM-A – INS, TERCOM, Block III TLAM-C, D & Block IV TLAM-E – INS, TERCOM, DSMAC, and GPS.
      Warhead: Block II TLAM-N – W80 nuclear warhead
      Block III TLAM-C and Block IV TLAM-E - 1,000 pound class unitary warhead
      Block III TLAM-D - conventional submunitions dispenser with combined effect bomblets.
      Last Update: 23 April 2010

    • 1 year ago
  • figgdimension
  • lazloman
  • gizmoismeno
    • +1
      gizmoismeno  

    • I am glad that this time around we have the support of the U.N. and that we are not sending ground troops to fight. I am not sure that booming the hell out of Libya would have been my course of action, but with that said i don't think the people of Libya should die for wanting change. I do agree that we should stop selling weapons to counrty that don't don't like, but at lest this time we have U.N. support to going to another counrty. again i only hope that air stikes is the only show of force we use, because we shouldn't risk are ground troops in a nother war

    • 1 year ago
  • queenofit
    • +4
      queenofit  

    • "President Barack Obama announced his latest peace-through-bombs initiative last week -- " wtg Nobel Peace Prize recipient. wow! So much for that Hope I was hoping for.

    • 1 year ago
  • good_stuff
    • -6
      good_stuff  

    • I kinda disagree with this point. If they have money to spend and we don't sell to them they may just start buying them from other countries such as china and russia. At least with our own weapons we know their weaknesses really well. We just need to put a secret disarm function to the weapons.

    • 1 year ago
  • Colin_McCabe
    • +1
      Colin_McCabe  
    • good_stuff:

      So we should continue to sell arms to countries who hate America and whose people will use those arms against Americans just like in Iraq and Afghanistan? Your point makes less and less sense the more I go on

    • 1 year ago
  • MikeMaddigan
    • +5
      MikeMaddigan  
    • good_stuff:

      Doing evil because the other guy might take advantage first? What a ridiculous policy. Better to enforce embargos and no fly zones against those who arm oppressive regimes, than to say we might as well get in on the action, too, then bomb hell out them later in the name of humanitarian relief.

    • 1 year ago
  • August_K
    • 0
      August_K  
    • good_stuff:

      "We just need to put a secret disarm function to the weapons."

      I like that idea but then those who control the game wouldn't have an excuse to do "another" regime change and make profits from "rebuilding" and of course having a little more control over the oil.....would they.

    • 1 year ago
  • Warren_Merrill
    • +2
      Warren_Merrill  

    • AFRICOM Mission Statement (from africom.mil)

      U.S. AFRICOM, in concert with other U.S. government agencies and international partners, conducts sustained security engagement through military-to-military programs, military-sponsored activities, and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign policy.

      The key words are "in support of US foreign policy." What is our foreign policy? This operation is not for US security. Libya did not pose a threat to the US until the attacks.

    • 1 year ago
  • bailey78
    • +1
      bailey78  
    • Warren_Merrill:

      Well there Ya go they got mad because we bombed them now they want to fight so Now we gotta go fight them................... That sounds just Like a Bully to me. But Hey I'm just some guy with a computer what the Hell do I know.

    • 1 year ago
  • bailey78
    • +6
      bailey78  

    • On Libya: Instead of Bombing Dictators, Stop Selling Them Bombs
      ??????????? But then how will the War Machine be fed???

    • 1 year ago
  • artemis6
  • bailey78
  • artemis6
  • bailey78
    • +2
      bailey78  
    • artemis6:

      AAh Yes the good times factor That along with the fresh air and clean water That might lead to others doing the same. Yes! I say Build This Peace Machine. But remember that those that are happy seldom see whats going to be Their down fall.

    • 1 year ago
  • August_K
  • artemis6
  • LivingPong
  • bailey78
  • artemis6
  • kgMA
    • +1
      kgMA  

    • This well timed use of weapons, or what I call, a military air show, has conveniently pushed the fear of nuclear power to the sidelines! Truth is, either missiles or a nuclear disasters would have the same effect on lives! Yes, death comes in many flavors!

    • 1 year ago
  • bailey78
  • CarlosBobthe3rd
  • August_K
  • samthesixth
  • s_peak
    • +2
      s_peak  

    • Why don't we just stop making them?

      Yeah I know, then the obvious answer is... someone else will...

      And therein lies the real problem. Humans are sick in the head... and under this system, nothing is sacred. Not logic, not human lives... nothing but self-interest.

      So what's the solution? We have to do away with money and move towards a future of cooperation. We have to realize that our survival depends on a future where we SHARE, not take. It's not socialism, because socialism requires a monetary system. It's not a technocracy because a technocracy implies hierarchy. There is control, but it's fully democratic. Everyone is involved and there's no money or power to skew the votes. If you want to make the game fair you have to remove the ability/need to cheat it. We must all treat each other as brothers and sisters... because we are. Without the cows in the pasture, the plants don't grow, without the plants, we don't breathe... without the tiny microbes in our stomach... we die. The truth is that the idea of equality does not appeal to some types of people (psychopaths, megalomaniacs, politicians, wealthy elite... actually most Americans) and those types of people will hold us in this prison of power until we are drained entirely of our will to fight it.

    • 1 year ago
  • artemis6
  • Warren_Merrill
    • +1
      Warren_Merrill  
    • s_peak:

      "We must all treat each other as brothers and sisters... because we are."

      I challenge you to head for the Middle East and explain this to an extreme Muslim jihadist. Just make final arrangements before you go.

    • 1 year ago
  • Colin_McCabe
  • s_peak
    • +1
      s_peak  
    • Warren_Merrill:

      Indeed. But what is the origin of this hatred? I submit to you... that it was money and power that was at the core of it since the beginning.

      Think about the tribes that existed in the united states before we killed them all. The Iroquois enjoyed a form of participatory democracy and peace that we have never even been close to knowing. Their form of government was actually millennia ahead of us culturally.

      Religion is based on a "dominator mindset"... and religion is spread because of money and power. There are plenty of examples in the bible of places where it was changes to better help economies or the royal elite... when in fact Jesus (for instance) was wholeheartedly against the idea of wealth, and was quoted as saying something like "blessed are the poor". The bible, as I'm sure you're aware has been malformed but power hungry men, and the ensuing cascade has been incredibly destructive to the world community.

    • 1 year ago
  • s_peak
    • +1
      s_peak  
    • Colin_McCabe:

      That's completely false, as has been proven in study after study. The reason we are different is... we can CHOOSE to be any way we want to be. We don't have to kill animals or humans. It's not completely necessary. We don't have to fish the sea to extinction... we are smart enough to see past problems that our mortality creates.

      An awesome free documentary on that particular subject and more is "Human Resources" by Metanoia films... I highly recommend it! You can watch it free online... the people they interview are badass. One of my favorite documentaries in many years (I watch a lot of them).

    • 1 year ago
  • Colin_McCabe
    • +1
      Colin_McCabe  
    • s_peak:

      I'll watch the documentary however I stand by my point. No matter who you're, you still have triggers that send you into a rage. That rage has often been described by people as something they've never experienced before and it often leads people to fighting or worse. That's instinct. It's just like when someone breaks into your house full of kids. What do you do? Call 911 and wait the 30 minutes for the police? No you instinctively go and kick ass. It may not be natural all the time but it's there.

    • 1 year ago
  • August_K
  • Warren_Merrill
    • 0
      Warren_Merrill  
    • s_peak:

      In the eyes of the Muslim jihadists it's not about money. The history of the Crusades was about religion and control of Jerusalem. In modern times they're against corruption due to exposure to western culture.

    • 1 year ago
  • ampersand
    • +2
      ampersand  

    • So right on, it's startling.
      I don't see massive weapons systems sales, being one of the key mainstays of the US industrial complex, to go away anytime soon though.
      (Without a revolution, that is......ahem...cough...cough..)

    • 1 year ago
  • mrtraffic
  • Colin_McCabe
  • BillCorcoran
  • derk
  • treewolf39
    • +4
      treewolf39  

    • I have been bringing this up ever since the uprising started in Libya! It is the elephant in the room and all pro intervention posters seem to ignore the fact that Gaddafi is using the weapons the Brits sold him; to murder his people. At no time in his rule has he been thought of as a decent leader.

    • 1 year ago
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • Eddie_Miller
  • xena
  • ThatCrazyLibertarian
  • Itsbatman_Durr
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