POSTED BY ORHAN
This is an open book test. Please answer the following essay questions as completely as possible.
The UN humanitarian intervention in Libya was initiated to prevent Muammar Qaddafi from committing acts of aggression and brutality against “his own people”.
- If attacking and killing “one’s own people” is the test for intervention, what will happen when armed rebels fire on supporters of Muammar Qaddafi? Should the UN intervene to prevent them from attacking “their own people”? Why or why not?
- The leaders of Bahrain and Yemen have also ordered brutal attacks against “their own people”. Should the UN intervene to protect the civilians of these countries? Why or why not?
- In Ivory Coast, the refusal by Laurent Gbagbo, the loser of the presidential elections, to step down has led to the deaths of hundreds, and soon possibly thousands, of “his own people”. Should the UN carry out a humanitarian intervention to protect the civilians of this country, which is of low strategic value to the West? Why or why not?
- Democratic aspirations have manifested in Saudi Arabia, currently the most repressive regime in the Middle East. Containing the world’s largest oil reserves and of supreme strategic importance, Saudi Arabia is America’s oldest ally in the region. If, in the event of a democratic uprising, the Saudi government attacks “its own people” to suppress the democratic movement, should the UN intervene to protect the civilians of this country? Why or why not?
Extra Credit:
- If the capability existed in 1861, should the international community have intervened to prevent Abraham Lincoln from using violence to prevent secession by “his own people”? Why or why not?
All pencils down.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
Well said.
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Brilliant!
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How dare you be rational and reasonable!! This is America, asylum to the world. (Ummm… that’s asylum as in the place where the crazy people live…)
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Maybe someday the inmates will take over?
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The inmates have taken over. They call themselves Republicans and variants thereof.
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Extra credit response only:
Actually, I think the CSA (where you reside today) attempted to enlist British support but was unsuccessful. I think the Brits were sympathetic to the CSA to a degree.
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Bruce – I’m the one down here in the old Confederacy becoming more southren* (that’s how we say it) by the day. Orhan lives amongst the literate, but commie pinko faggot elite, up in New York.
* Meaning I am now ‘southren’ in my certainty that life was meant to be lived at a slower and more forgiving pace. My cultural attitudes remain firmly attached to the land of my upbringing, i.e. Metropolitain New York. In other words, like Orhan, I am a literate commie pinko faggot elite (without the money). Which of course means I must also be anti-American, Muslim coddling, European adoring, too good for my britches type of bitch. 🙂
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No money either…:-(
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He, he, he…….VERY…VERY …..Good…..
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Is logic required? I just hate logic sometimes. Just askin’. My head hurts. I am going to see the school nurse.
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Are there really still school nurses? Or are you just heading back to the ’60’s . . . Sherry, I never thought I could feel more discouraged than the worst days of Iraq, but honestly . . . THREE Muslim countries? When does it approach politically correct to say ‘crusades’ again?
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Hate to do this to you, Moe, but you may need a nurse if you haven’t read this drivel yet.
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Sheesh, pass the aspirin, please…
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Little Billy Kristol – Elvis is saving up something special for that creep.
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Ms. Holland,
The Arabs cannot blame their decline and fall as the most advanced civilization of the middle ages on the Christian crusaders. They survived that . It really was the Ottoman Turks who conquered the middle east and suppressed the Arabs .
I am not mad about Libya for the same reasons you are . I am mad that the operation from a political viewpoint does not seem to be going well. All the coalition allies are arguing with one another . The Rebels do not appear to be capable of fighting very well and we don’t even know who they are . If they win they could be as bad as Gadaffi.
The French and British seem particularly confused . Having dragged us in to this, I thought once we kicked in the door for them with our missiles they would run the show . They do not seem to know any better than our President what should be done next .
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Alan, your list of reasons you’re mad about Libya sounds pretty much like my own. The only diff is I would add that bombs in a third Muslim country is very very bad for all concerned.
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Ms. Holland,
I don’t care that it is Muslim . I am really tired of us being afraid of offending Muslims . But 3 wars anywhere is a bit much . Militarily our forces are doing their usual great job . It is our political leadership that has failed . Didn’t someone think ahead as to how we get out ?
In the long run Ghaddafi surviving is not the worst outcome . Right now we have the worst outcome, a stalemate. Somebody had better win and get that oil capacity back on line before Japan recovers and world demand picks back up . You think gasoline prices are high now, just wait .
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Alan, given that we’ve been there five days, I wouln’t exactly call it a stalemate just yet. But that’s a very real danger.
Read an article last night (damn but I didn’t bookmark it!) reporting that when oil or other large resource states have change of gov’t from dictatorship – however it happens and whatever it ends up being – they never ever return to the level of export they had under the strong man.
I agree that gas prices are going up for good and meanwhile, China is busy locking in Africa for its future needs.
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