Libyan Civil War Megathread

[Ed Anger]

Arabs make me want to join Grallon's nuke the living fuck out the camel jackeys side.

[citizen k]

camel jackey

Sounds disgusting.

[Darth Wagtaros]

camel jackey

Sounds disgusting.

Not as bad as camel jerky woudl be.  But the idea of Mb jerking a camel is probably worse in the grand scheme of things.

[Zoupa]

What's all this tribal talk? Whoever wins, no "tribe" is getting butchered afterwards. The fighting is not going down tribal lines.

[Tamas]

What's all this tribal talk? Whoever wins, no "tribe" is getting butchered afterwards. The fighting is not going down tribal lines.

I forgot. It is forces of evil vs. forces of DEMOCRACY!

[Queequeg]

What's all this tribal talk? Whoever wins, no "tribe" is getting butchered afterwards. The fighting is not going down tribal lines.

I forgot. It is forces of evil vs. forces of DEMOCRACY!

Yes.  There are many shades of grey in a conflict between a mad dictator and his legion of mercenaries against 6 million people who have seen their nation's great wealth wasted on palaces and mercenaries.

[MadImmortalMan]

What's all this tribal talk? Whoever wins, no "tribe" is getting butchered afterwards. The fighting is not going down tribal lines.

Really? I had the impression it was a big factor.


http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=3&id=24257

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/world/africa/15tribes.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8361279/How-Libyas-tribes-will-decide-Gaddafis-fate.html

[Tamas]

What's all this tribal talk? Whoever wins, no "tribe" is getting butchered afterwards. The fighting is not going down tribal lines.

I forgot. It is forces of evil vs. forces of DEMOCRACY!

Yes.  There are many shades of grey in a conflict between a mad dictator and his legion of mercenaries against 6 million people who have seen their nation's great wealth wasted on palaces and mercenaries.

To state this is not a tribal-based conflict, goes against everything I have read about this conflict and Libya in general. It is supposedly a tribal society, with tribal identity being more important than the national one. Even the army units are organized among tribal lines, and this alone is a pretty good hint that lines must be mostly drawn along tribal loyalties.

[CountDeMoney]

Too funny.  Yes to a no-fly zone, no to American or NATO involvement.

What are they going to do? Bus in some Costa Rican air crews?  Who the fuck do you think has all the planes?

[Ed Anger]

camel jackey

Sounds disgusting.

Not as bad as camel jerky woudl be.  But the idea of Mb jerking a camel is probably worse in the grand scheme of things.

Mr. Hands, the empire strikes back.

[Warspite]

Too funny.  Yes to a no-fly zone, no to American or NATO involvement.

What are they going to do? Bus in some Costa Rican air crews?  Who the fuck do you think has all the planes?

I hear Malta has a pretty strong air force these days.

[CountDeMoney]

Too funny.  Yes to a no-fly zone, no to American or NATO involvement.

What are they going to do? Bus in some Costa Rican air crews?  Who the fuck do you think has all the planes?

I hear Malta has a pretty strong air force these days.

Maybe the USS Wasp can make another run.

[derspiess]

I'm trying my best to support the Obama administration on this and I think non-intervention is the way to go, but FFS shit or get off the pot.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42124342

The United States, previously cool on the idea of a foreign military intervention, said the U.N. Security Council should consider tougher action than a no-fly zone over Libya.

"We are discussing very seriously and leading efforts in the Council around a range of actions that we believe could be effective in protecting civilians," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said in New York. "The U.S. view is that we need to be prepared to contemplate steps that include but perhaps go beyond a no-fly zone."

Yes, let's fling around escalated but still meaningless rhetoric, hoping for the clock to run out before we'd be able to do anything.  Obama needs to man up & simply state that as horrible as it is that people are getting killed, intervention does not serve our national interests.

[Josephus]

Too funny.  Yes to a no-fly zone, no to American or NATO involvement.

What are they going to do? Bus in some Costa Rican air crews?  Who the fuck do you think has all the planes?

I hear Malta has a pretty strong air force these days.

A thorn in Gadaffi's side.

[Drakken]

Yes.  There are many shades of grey in a conflict between a mad dictator and his legion of mercenaries against 6 million people who have seen their nation's great wealth wasted on palaces and mercenaries.

Got the polls to back that? Nothing shows that the revolt in Lybia has a strong support of the population.

In all intrastate conflicts, only a minority, usually elites and those they coopt, either fights or support a side. Most of the population want to be left alone. They are fine with whoever is capable to defend them, they'll even use them to settle personal scores on the local level, by branding a rival an informant for the other side.

Furthermore, remaining neutral has the marginal advantage of preventing any retaliation if their territory is controled by the wrong side.