Libya And Bahrain: A Tale Of Western Hypocrisy

[Tigershark]

The United States has shown real hypocrisy in its treatment of two Arab revolutions - Libya and Bahrain.

In Libya, the U.S. and its European allies have decided to go in with all guns blazing. With Bahrain it's a different story as the Americans refuse to lift a finger to evict Saudi Arabia after their invasion of that country.

Why this two faced strategy? Both countries (Bahrain and Libya) are repressive dictatorships. The peoples of both nations have risen up against their long time rulers and are fighting for their freedom on the streets. The rulers of these two nations have opted to take a repressive line in dealing with their respective peoples.

Yet, more pressure is being applied to Libya's Colonel Gaddafi than to the Bahraini Al Khalifa ruling family. There's a simple explanation for this - Gaddafi (despite his post-9/11 cuddling up to the West) has long been seen as an enemy of Western (read U.S. and Israeli interests) in the Middle East. Meanwhile the Al Khalifa clan have permitted the Americans to base their Central Command and Fifth Fleet headquarters inside the country, thus making the country strategically vital to U.S. imperialist interests.

Therefore, Gaddafi's loss wouldn't mean anything to the U.S. and its NATO allies. They would be able (through the use of airstrikes) to rid themselves of a foe who has now (conveniently) for them decided to take on his own people in a particularly vicious manner. The Americans, British and French, in opting to take the UN path, have decided to cloak their intervention in the veneer of international law. Through doing so, the West will effectively seek to take over the popular revolution that has swept Libya and, in the process, ensure that any new post-Gaddafi regime is fully compliant with Western interests.

Conversely, the loss of the Al-Khalifa clan in Bahrain would alarm the U.S. and its close ally Saudi Arabia. That's why the U.S. has not ordered its Fifth Fleet to fire on the Bahraini royal palace in support of the protesters on the streets who, as in Libya, are being fired at by government snipers. They haven't decided to turn their guns on the largely Saudi invasion force either. The U.S. needs both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on its side in order to enjoy continued access to oil. And if that means continuing to back repressive monarchist regimes in both Gulf countries, then so be it. Another irony is that 21 years ago, the U.S. decided (under the cloak of UN authority also) to take on Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait. So why are the Americans not being as outspoken about Saudi Arabia's invasion of Bahrain? I remember that the Iraqis used the excuse in Kuwait that they were intervening at the 'invitation' of local revolutionaries who had overthrown the ruling family. This story was fictional as is the one about the Saudis intervening at the 'invitation' of their Bahraini royal brethren. Furthermore, I seek to question whether the Libyan opposition hasn't been infiltrated by Western intelligence agencies given that some opposition groups have called for NATO air strikes which is effectively another 'invitation' to the West to intervene in another Arab nation's internal affairs.

If the US, British and French wanted to be consistent, they should unhesitatingly support all the Arab peoples in their struggle for freedom but not directly intervene. By all means, if the people are being attacked by their national military forces, then they should be externally armed and trained to fight back. But that's as far as it should go. Instead, neo-imperialist strategic interests have driven the U.S. and their allies to treat the cases of Libya and Bahrain differently. And that is a real tragedy for both the Bahraini and Libyan peoples in the midst of their respective struggles.

 

[Tshering22]

thankyou for supporting libya

Actually I don't understand why West is wasting its money on you when there are other greater problems to deal with. Pretty short-sighted IMO. Seems more like an oil war.

 

[Zeeshan360]

Double standards of USA exposed !!!

When there were protests in Iran , Obama said tht ppl should fight and bring the change but he didnt comment abt Bahrain's protests coz Bahrain is USA's ally

---------- Post added at 03:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:32 AM ----------

Actually I don't understand why West is wasting its money on you when there are other greater problems to deal with. Pretty short-sighted IMO. Seems more like an oil war.

Libya is rich in Oil

 

[Veritas]

Bahrain is a Saudi vs Iran sphere of influence issue. It is more than your simplistic assertions. Yes, the US fleet is based there, so what will happen to the world if the Gulf of Harmouz is mined by Iranians. The world economy will go to toilet that includes China.

I heartily request China to move a motion for humanitarian intervention in Bahrain, then you would really know where people stand.

Bashing US left right and center for every thing... well if you have the balls.. go play the game in Bahrain.

 

[Unbeliever]

Stop spreading your propaganda..

Bahrain crushes protests, draws U.S. criticism - The West Australian

The situation is not comparable to Libya, if it were it would draw the same kind of criticism(and to some extent it does), also the Libyan intervention is mainly a French and British driven resolution. So wants more you only prove to be uninformed.
Given Iranian and Saudi involvement in Bahrain it is a much more complicated situation...

And proposing it is an oil war is beyond stupidity since Gadaffi did sell us oil and would have kept selling, WE decided not to buy because he is slaughtering his own people. But keep living in your little dream world with the evil USA, it makes life easy for you I guess..

 

[no_name]

Opinion of a member on another forum:

"Listening to Gadaffi early in the Libyan revolt, it was easy to scoff at his rantings about the rebels being al Al-Queada.

As however the crisis has developed it has become a little clearer what lay behind this and that the meaning may have had more resonance on the Arab St than it had in none Arab ears. What has developed as a strong undercurrent in the campaign to topple Gadaffi is the entrenched antagonism between him and the Saudi King Abdullah. In this light, the Al-Queada comments become clearer as the organisation is led by members of the Saudi establishment. In which case he claiming it as a Saudi Royalist plot, but dressing it up to conform to a War on Terror concept.

Saudi Arabia does of course have form in this regard as many of problems in Pakistan and Afghanistan stem not only Bin Laden, but the wholesale export of Wahhibisem in the form of subsised Islamic schools to Pakistan, the womb of the Taliban. While it has been natural to look at events from the perspective of the US Interest and US Interest is of course considerable, it has perhaps been a mistake to simply relegate the Saudi's to the position of Cats Paw operating on America's behalf.

By this I mean, that the Saudi Action has not been unwilling, but has been undertaken enthusiastically with its own interest agenda very much on its mind. Saudi Arabia has benefited by being under the US umbrella, and although this has limited the range of options available to Riyadh to project its power, those options it has had, have been projected effectively and with little or no criticism, protected by Washington. In its main part, the interests of Saudi Arabia has been to promote its Wahhabi form of Sunni Islam against its Rival Shia, championed by its regional rival Iran. This of itself has been enough to engender tacit US support.

In the current Middle East crisis however, we are seeing a much more openly Assertive Saudi Arabia than before. This is a Saudi Arabia that sends its forces into Bahrain and agitates for the downfall of an upstart rival in Libya. Rather more sinisterly is that this new more assertive Saudi Arabia seems able to use its oil supply as leverage to influence many other governments and even the outcome of a UN Resolution.

It appears however as speculated upon by Peter Lee in ATOL yesterday, that the Saudis have used their oil leverage to convert vetoers into abstainers, thus allowing the Resolution 1973 to stand, much to the surprise of all parties concerned.

Seen from this perspective, many NATO countries, especially in Europe emerge not as noble humanitarian interventionists, but simply as higher quality mercenaries, in the pay of the richer despot and to be pitted against those of the poorer. "

 

[r3alist]

Bashing US left right and center for every thing... well if you have the balls.. go play the game in Bahrain.

this is simplistic.

some countries dont moralise and preach to others.

the west has taken a moral stance apparently in support of libyans, then what of the people of bahrain, spit in their face?

this is surely risible, how can honest men behave like this.

the wider point is that the west should not be allowed to evoke selective humanitarian wars, its not sincere, they dont have the guts to be honest, so they make fake claims about a genocide.

and they ignore who dies in iraq, afghanistan and pakistan.

 

[Akasa]

There's an ad on this forum that told people to donate to help children in the Libya Crisis.

That's what the US is pretty much doing, since those Tomahawks are pretty expensive...

 

[Veritas]

this is simplistic.

some countries dont moralise and preach to others.

the west has taken a moral stance apparently in support of libyans, then what of the people of bahrain, spit in their face?

this is surely risible, how can honest men behave like this.

the wider point is that the west should not be allowed to evoke selective humanitarian wars, its not sincere, they dont have the guts to be honest, so they make fake claims about a genocide.

and they ignore who dies in iraq, afghanistan and pakistan.

Typical colonial victim mentality, yeah, Pakistani government collects money from American coffers hand over fist and "co-operates" fully well in setting the targets for drone strike.

So, blaming USA is fashionable ... even today, when there is more proof of peoples lives saved by hitting at tanks of Gaddafi. US does not have leverage or should I say much flexibility when it comes to Bahrain, they can side all the way with the people or shia opposition with iranian sympathies, but Saudis are hell bent on retaining Bahrain in the current power structure.

So now, Would you love to see the Europeans bombing Saudi Arabia ? Bham... that is THE MOTHER OF ALL PROPAGANDA... Mecca and Medina in siege...

So, no I disagree the situations are only similar on surface.. but the variables and effects on Global economy are entirely different.

I would love Pakistan and China to move a humanitarian motion again Bahrain... please you can start the process.. no one is stoping you.

 

[JayAtl]

The freaking balz to attack the US when the Chinese made money like bandits off Libya, only to tuck their tails and run off when the slaughter began...You have no damn moral compass to discuss the US attitude. You country has the distinction of being one of the 3 named , when they talk about monumental crimes against humanity- Hitler, Stalin and Mao.

the only interest China has in Libya now is if they can dump 'Made in China' ( internationally known as lowest product quality) coffins and make money off that... this the same Chinese that props up murderous dictators in Africa - in return for the right to loot and feed the coffers of those like Mugabe or that Sudanese president . Yes US supports shady leaders but none of them are on Hague list like the friends of china. and the world knows every damn pariah in the world , looked upon as such by 99% of the world and all developed nations= China's bum chums...

Chinese are demolishing and even ruining their so called friends Pakistan economy as widely noted by the Pakistani economist and businesses- and you call them Friends!. Like I said you have no moral compass to come at the US. Have a nice day...

 

[below_freezing]

U.S. Military Launches Spy Operation Using Fake Online Identities

 

[Veritas]

The freaking balz to attack the US when the Chinese made money like bandits off Libya, only to tuck their tails and run off when the slaughter began...You have no damn moral compass to discuss the US attitude. You country has the distinction of being one of the 3 named , when they talk about monumental crimes against humanity- Hitler, Stalin and Mao.

the only interest China has in Libya now is if they can dump 'Made in China' ( internationally known as lowest product quality) coffins and make money off that... this the same Chinese that props up murderous dictators in Africa - in return for the right to loot and feed the coffers of those like Mugabe or that Sudanese president . Yes US supports shady leaders but none of them are on Hague list like the friends of china. and the world knows every damn pariah in the world , looked upon as such by 99% of the world and all developed nations= China's bum chums...

Chinese are demolishing and even ruining their so called friends Pakistan economy as widely noted by the Pakistani economist and businesses- and you call them Friends!. Like I said you have no moral compass to come at the US. Have a nice day...

The Chinese want Gaddafi in power, even if it means killing his own people with tanks. They do not care, a Gaddafi regime would ensure they can go back and claim their operations at their projects and pump oil wealth of libyan people.

None of the Chinese poster do not even show some sympathy for the millions of Libyans who are fighting for their lives, unlike Pakistanis who seem to have equally divided.

 

[Tigershark]

The article exposes the western double standard. Countries like the US support repressive regimes when it is in their interest. When those governments turn against them, they "intervene on humanitarian grounds."
The West has declared WAR on Libya.
War is not a humanitarian act.
We shall see how benevolent western countries are when it comes time to reconstruct Libya. Given the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am pessimistic.

 

[r3alist]

Typical colonial victim mentality, yeah, Pakistani government collects money from American coffers hand over fist and "co-operates" fully well in setting the targets for drone strike.

So, blaming USA is fashionable ... even today, when there is more proof of peoples lives saved by hitting at tanks of Gaddafi. US does not have leverage or should I say much flexibility when it comes to Bahrain, they can side all the way with the people or shia opposition with iranian sympathies, but Saudis are hell bent on retaining Bahrain in the current power structure.

So now, Would you love to see the Europeans bombing Saudi Arabia ? Bham... that is THE MOTHER OF ALL PROPAGANDA... Mecca and Medina in siege...

So, no I disagree the situations are only similar on surface.. but the variables and effects on Global economy are entirely different.

I would love Pakistan and China to move a humanitarian motion again Bahrain... please you can start the process.. no one is stoping you.

oh well, mentioning pakistan brings the indian screaming out, you gotta keep the americans killing pakistani's [/indian]

my point was that claims about libyan genocide are completely irresponsible, the numbers are unverified and likely to be in the thousands - if that is a humanitarian crisis then what of iraq/afghanistan? its pre emptive war with left cover.

secondly have you heard the speeches form susan rice in the UN? and from other US politicians? - they speak of universal principles and universal rights, these are universally applicable, so you are wrong, why not saudi arabia - do the saudi's not deserve these universal principles?

and finally when in the coming years bahrain and saudi govt. are surplus to requirements these same people who ignored them will find their lungs - i know the powerful countries will do as they please, but dont expect me to believe their lies, come on, where were you when blair embraced gadaffi?

 

[Veritas]

The article exposes the western double standard. Countries like the US support repressive regimes when it is in their interest. When those governments turn against them, they "intervene on humanitarian grounds."
The West has declared WAR on Libya.
War is not a humanitarian act.
We shall see how benevolent western countries are when it comes time to reconstruct Libya. Given the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am pessimistic.

Posting something in CAPITAL letters does not make it "truer" or "fact".