With the support of the U.S. and the U.S.-backed NATO the "rebels" have rejected an African Union peace plan which included a ceasefire, an end to U.S./NATO air strikes, humanitarian aid, and political reforms.
It's easy for the rebels to reject a peace proposal: The U.S. is spending more money on this war than any other nation. The cost of the war has reportedly passed $600 million and there is no end in sight.
The mysterious "rebels," who by themselves have been unable to force Gaddafi to terms, want the U.S./NATO to hand over control of Libya to them -- this even though they have not been able to demonstrate broad-based public support throughout the country. It is understandable the rebels would demand regime change. That's the Obama administration position.
In the past week the administration has rejected a communication from Gaddafi which sought to end the war and to bring about a peaceful agreement. The administration yesterday asserted that it had not read the African Union's plan to bring about a peaceful agreement; nevertheless, Secretary Clinton continued to call for regime change. If regime change is the price of peace there will be no peace in Libya, and consequently, millions of innocent civilians will be caught up in the middle of an intensifying civil war.
Humanitarian intervention has quickly given way to covert operations, regime change, and unending civil war. The U.S./NATO have taken sides in a manner that puts politics ahead of protecting civilians and undermines the argument that the United States and NATO attacked Libya to avert a humanitarian disaster. It is beginning to appear that the potential for a massacre was not a justification for action, it was pretext.
We're now prolonging a civil war. We are putting civilians at risk: Regime change, providing extraordinary air combat assistance, rejecting peace plans, assisting in rebels gaining control over oil resources, continuing covert operations, consideration of arming the rebels, all adds up to more innocent people getting killed.
If we in fact diverted one humanitarian crisis, we are about to start another. Inevitably, Libyans must resolve their own internal affairs without outside intervention. When the people of the United States truly understand the cost of these interventions, this administration may have more to be concerned about than regime change in Libya.
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Your argument that this is a civil war is completely false and invalid. It is documented by journalist, human rights groups, and the UN that Gaddafi is using mercenaries in his militia from Chad, Mali, Sudan, Belarus, Algeria, and various sub Saharan countries. IT IS NOT A CIVIL WAR IF OTHER NATIONS ARE BRINGING IN THEIR PEOPLE TO MURDER FOR YOU. This then in turns debunks any notion of a peace plan with the African Union. Pretty much all the African nations are funded by Gaddafi. Therefore, they will do all that they can to make sure that he remains in power.
Civil war exists when two or more opposing parties within a country resort to arms to settle a conflict or when a substantial portion of the population takes up arms against the legitimate government of a country.
The augmentation of the forces of the legitimate government by non-citizens does not disqualify an internal conflict from being appropriately called what it is, a civil war.
Secondly you realise that the major supporters of the Libyan war are Neoconservatives like Bill Kristol, Newt Gingirch, Charles Krauthammer, Pete Wehner, and various other far right wackos, who think that every sand box in the middle east should have a US military base on it.
So the giving aid and comfort to the opposition line is kinda bizarre in this situation.
Finally when did Democrats adopt the policy of endless war in 3rd world countries?
Didn't we learn that this was a mistake from Vietnam?
See Meteor-Blades FP story today:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/12/965600/-Military-strategy-for-progressives:-Now-is-the-time-to-press-for-Pentagon-cuts,-green-reinvestment
Why should the elite do anything different as long as Americans choose to remain ignorant and compliant? The facts are widely available, even from fact-based rightist websites like the Council of Foreign Relations, which has asked all the tough questions about Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places around the globe where we are stumbling around without a clue.
Sorry to be so negative. But reality is. And the wealthy are treating everyone else with contempt. If we take it, then we deserve the treatment that we're getting.
NObama O' Biden in 2012! Dennis Kucinich for President!