Regretting Libya now?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

It's time for the Italians to send the repo men and take possession back.

Anthony Quinn would just kick them out again.

[Atheist-Lite]

The myth of progress is a strong one, ah the good will win out and night will not prevail? must be what the last folks in all those other ruined civilzations scattered across the globe must have thought.

[laklak]

Nope. I said from the get-go it was going to end in snot en trane, and (as usual) I was right. If they'd just put me in charge of the planet for a couple of years I'd fucking sort shit out, goddamn right.

[Rum]

The myth of progress is a strong one, ah the good will win out and night will not prevail? must be what the last folks in all those other ruined civilzations scattered across the globe must have thought.

Well you call it a myth, but then you would with the poisonous fumes you call your thoughts. The fact is that humanity has done fantastic things to pull itself out of the mud and grime, despite huge odds. There's nothing magic or destined or even inevitable about it, but it has happened.

I shudder at the thought of what it must be like to be you.

[Rum]

I have some thoughts on what "in the longer term" entails between now and then, but that's a subject for another thread...

As someone who knows more about this stuff at a strategic level than most of us here I would be interested in your thoughts.


Of course one predictable thing is that it won't be very predictable!

[eXcommunicate]

Wait. I'm supposed to "regret" that we assisted in toppling Gaddafi, because some retards kicked over some headstones?

[Svartalf]

Yep, like Italians regret Mussolini, because the fascist period was the only one when Italian trains ran on time.

[Atheist-Lite]

Everything man has done is unsutainable and like a kid driving a car much too fast as it nears a bend in the road men are swerving to avoid the inevitable population crash, the continued climate chaos and the prospect of extinction in the next few centuries. There is no sign that human beings as a whole have progressed at all in comparison to the slime from which they arose. The abundance of oil like the abundance of sugar coated yuck in a petri dish allowed the population to increase to seven billion, not much thought there. Libya is the future, social chaos and the evil that men have repeatably done when the trough is taken away from their glutonous snouts. The arab spring is about food price rises not democracy....although this point is lost on most.

[Rum]

Everything man has done is unsutainable and like a kid driving a car much too fast as it nears a bend in the road men are swerving to avoid the inevitable population crash, the continued climate chaos and the prospect of extinction in the next few centuries. There is no sign that human beings as a whole have progressed at all in comparison to the slime from which they arose. The abundance of oil like the abundance of sugar coated yuck in a petri dish allowed the population to increase to seven billion, not much thought there. Libya is the future, social chaos and the evil that men have repeatably done when the trough is taken away from their glutonous snouts. The arab spring is about food price rises not democracy....although this point is lost on most.

Yeah cos you are such a clever piece of slime right?

[Audley Strange]

Pig ignorant fuckers in act like pig ignorant fuckers shocker.

[PsychoSerenity]

I have some thoughts on what "in the longer term" entails between now and then, but that's a subject for another thread...

As someone who knows more about this stuff at a strategic level than most of us here I would be interested in your thoughts.

I read that the other way around for a second and thought "Really Rum? I had no idea!".

[Woodbutcher]

Yep, like Italians regret Mussolini, because the fascist period was the only one when Italian trains ran on time.

That's an urban myth! He had nothing to do with the trains. The only time he was involved with trains was when Herr Fuehrer came for a visit, he had Rome's train station renovated because he wanted to make a good impression.
Why did they build Coliseum round?


























So the Wops couldn't piss in the corners!

[Svartalf]

Well, it's not like truth matters in this kind of case, it's what the people believe.

[Rum]

An apology has been forthcoming...

From the Beeb: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17244211

Apology after British war graves attacked in Benghazi

Libyan authorities have apologised after video footage emerged showing graves of British servicemen being attacked by armed men in Benghazi.

Headstones were broken at the Benghazi War Cemetery and the Benghazi British Military Cemetery, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) said.

Among the graves targeted were those of British and Commonwealth servicemen killed during the Second World War.

The National Transitional Council (NTC) has pledged to catch those responsible.

The video footage, filmed by the attackers, appears to show about a dozen armed men kicking down headstones and trying to damage a cross.

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse, in Tripoli, says the attackers referred to "Christian dogs" and a Jewish memorial was also targeted.

Our correspondent says the attack was "calm, almost casual".

It is believed the attack could have been carried out in retaliation for the burning of the Koran by US soldiers at a military base in Afghanistan last month.
'Broken and disfigured'

The CWCG said on its website that headstones were "broken and disfigured" at both cemeteries last weekend. About 109 headstones are understood to have been attacked at the Benghazi War Cemetery.
A headstone broken at the Benghazi War Cemetery and the Benghazi British Military Cemetery The National Transitional Council strongly condemned the attacks

The organisation said it would conduct a full survey of the damage once it was safe to do so.

"Both cemeteries will be restored to a standard befitting the sacrifice of those commemorated at Benghazi, but this could take some time because we will need to source replacement stones," the CWCG said.

"In the meantime we will ensure that temporary markers are erected over the graves."

No-one was injured in the attack, it said.

The NTC said in a statement on its website: "Some people attacked the graves of non-Muslims in Benghazi, including the graves of some of the nationals of friendly countries, including the states of Britain and Italy."

It says it "deeply regrets" and "strongly condemns" the attacks, and pledged to prosecute those involved.

The BBC understands that at some point during the attack on the British Military Cemetery a group of older people intervened to stop it.

It is understood a separate attack was carried out on the Italian War Graves Cemetery, also in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Graves 'respected'

In June last year Foreign Secretary William Hague laid a wreath at Commonwealth war graves on a trip to Benghazi.

BBC Southern Africa correspondent Karen Allen said that up until now Commonwealth war graves had been respected in Libya, and it was sad to see attacks in Benghazi.

In November last year our correspondent reported that Tripoli War Cemetery, one of five Commonwealth war cemeteries dotted across Libya, were left untouched during the uprising.

The CWGC held services at its cemeteries in Tripoli, Benghazi and Tobruk to mark the 93rd Armistice Day last year.

There are 1,214 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated at the Benghazi War Cemetery, according to the CWGC, 163 of the burials are unidentified.

The Benghazi British Military Cemetery has 284 burials, 11 of them unidentified.

The graves are of servicemen and women who died in the region in the years following the Second War.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

...it seems to me that the 'west' is taking a giant gamble that by supporting the 'Arab Spring' movements...

I think we figured it was more of a gamble not to support them if they then turned-out to be successful anyway. That would have put us in a slightly awkward position with regards the new regimes.