Monday, August 22, 2011

Mondoweiss opposed Libya's revolution before they supported it

From Mondoweiss, May 2, 2011. The U.N.’s rogue alliance in Libya:


For the past several weeks, the supposed struggle for human rights and liberation in Libya has been so wrecked by an obviously corrupt European-led military intervention that one might well just stand back and watch it—like a house so engulfed in flames that one can only watch it burn. But with the killing of Muammar Qaddafy’s grandchildren by a NATO-organised air strike, those flames are rising so high that they are threatening Mount Olympus – the rarefied realm of the UN world system. The rumbling protests by an informed world public about all this, like those regarding illegalities in Iraq, do not suffice in this case. The lethal strike on Qaddafy’s family’s home emblematically contravenes the UN system of international law and world order so baldly that concerted international action must now be organised. For the fact is that the present situation of an organised European-led military attack on a sovereign state, with the open goal of regime change, is shaking the foundations of the world order that protects us all.

...and...

what we are witnessing in Libya rings of the same old ugly behaviour, which was also often defended on grounds of protecting people from the ravages of a bad (socialist or capitalist) government.

From Mondoweiss, August 21, 2011. Libyan triumph exposes the west's double standard for Palestine:


This is a joyful night. The liberation of Tripoli and Libya is one of those events we never could have predicted at the beginning of the year, I've been glued to the screen, sharing the triumph of the hopeful people in the streets in north Africa.


...and...

This is a great night for the self-determination of the Libyan people. Yes, and what about the self-determination of their neighbors in Palestine? How long can the west maintain this cruel double standard?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

For a blog that purports to be about the 'War of Ideas in the Middle East', it's a bit odd how little they pay attention to the rest of the Middle East.

Anonymous said...

I find the need to amend myself for my statement above; in my haste, I hadn't done enough research on Mondoweiss. They've mentioned Libya several times in numerous articles (which isn't surprising, seeing as how there seems to be a half-dozen posters). Of course, Libya is often mentioned by comparing the situation to Israel, and the commentators seem to follow suit.

Tim Haughton said...

Mondoweiss isn't a propaganda outlet. They don't have to present a coherent message.

As it says - it's a war of ideas. Different posters will have different views. Why would you expect otherwise?

Ben said...

"Mondoweiss isn't a propaganda outlet. They don't have to present a coherent message."

This sounds like a polite way of saying that a group with a eclectic roster is free to be as hypocritical as they desire, which was the valid central point of this post, since MW went from condemning NATO and the Libyan war to shedding tears that such a wonderful operation hasn't been launched against Israel.

the_last_name_left said...

Well, WhatReallyHappened.com (webmaster = 'patriot' Mike Rivero) went from agitating for intervention to calling intervention a warcrime. All within days.

Rivero originally insisted there would be no intervention on behalf of "the Arab Spring" in Libya because Israel was supporting Gaddafi, with 50,000 Israeli paid mercenaries. (the usual anti-semitic line)

Yet when the UN voted to intervene, Rivero suddenly switched to saying intervention was a warcrime and yada yada yada. (Nevermind that it disproved the supposed Israeli control of the world and support for Libya).

Personally I was always ambivalent - I have no great enthusiasm for Gadaffi (who would?) but at the same time intervention in foreign civil war is anathema to my sense of justice. Where next etc?

Difficult issues, but people want to simplify it for their own political ends. And in Rivero's case it was exploited for anti-semitism, both before and after intervention, for different rationales each time but always attacking Israel/Jews/liberal democracy nevertheless.

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