Libya: Neutrality

srizals@gmail.com

The world is trying to show how just it is by starting a bombing campaign and a 'no fly zone' in Libya to protect innocent lives from a military oppression by bullies. Strangely, as always, these bullies, the sheriff and their deputies were best buddies just a few years back. Judging from previous good intention for beginning a bombardment of a foreign, sovereign country, this current move is surely making the concern nervous. There are too many assumptions and predictions going on. Some are afraid that Libya would end up like Somalia, most fear the cloning of another Iraq. The more obvious would be the concern about the price of oil and whether the world could afford another conflict being in where it is now. Would it ignite another spark of terrorism in an already hostile environment?

But one thing is clear, the smart bombs and precision bombings; they are both not that smart and not that precise. The innocents would die for sure. It is unavoidable in our current modern tactics and techniques of war. Our advancement had made us cruel and efficient terminators. Not unless a clear warning was given earlier for everyone to clear out the intended targets, just like previously in the Serbian-Bosnian-Croat civil war. Would the Libyans get the same warning like the Serbians? Or they can be sacrificed on the altar of freedom since no military might is behind them, like the lucky Serbians? And then there is a question of some using human shields if warnings were given, since a picture can be used to describe a thousand words.

I'm not sure whether Colonel Muamar Gaddafi and his supporting tribes were given enough space to consider different options. Were everyone given a better option? Have all the stages of negotiation and intervention been exhausted?

How sad it is in seeing yet another conflict between Muslims being resolved by others. Whatever happened to OIC? Maybe it is time OIC should consider a military alliance to settle problems in their own backyards. How sad is the Muslim nations. They have to rely on others to clean up their own mess.

One thing about a people of a nation, they would fight fiercely against any foreign intervention. The calling to defend the beloved motherland is a sacred call that would be hard to ignore, even by those who stands in the middle. Now, their conscience is clear. What would happen then? 

Should we try at least to think outside of the box? We have end up where we are now with ‘might is right’ policy. I don’t think it worked that well before, why should it work now?