QADDAFI WINS! QADDAFI WINS!

QADDAFI WINS! QADDAFI WINS!

Go Tell It To the Fighters for Democratization

Guest Post by Dr. Harold Goldmeier

March, 2011

            “The world has failed us.” This lament is from freedom fighters in the Libyan people’s revolutionary “army” known as the National Federation for the Salvation of Libya. The world powers have done next to nothing to intervene on their behalf, while the forces of Muammar el-Qaddafi counter attack with air strikes, terrorize and torture their families and civilians, and brutalize even peaceful protestors who model themselves after Egyptian and Tunisian regime change antagonists.  The ultimate failure is the credibility of the European Union, America, and the United Nations. Their message is we will talk a good game, but you are on your own if an oil rich despot will not accede and negotiate with you. They created a climate of disbelief in letting despots violently crush the democracy movements in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

            

The monarchs at first tried to reason with the protestors.  They distributed cash handouts. The monarchs were really trying to buy time watching to what Presidents Obama and Sarkozy, Prime Minister Brown, and the U.N., would do anything to stop Qaddafi besides plea for maximum restraint.  After two weeks of nothing but pitiful words and finger shaking did Bahrain and Yemen order their secret police to crush the protests killing and wounding thousands. The Saudis and three other nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council sent 1,000 troops to Bahrain to protect the monarchy, while Syria sent air force pilots to aid Qaddafi. The implied promises of aid and intervention to assure the democratic core issue would be insured proved mendacious and sounded the death knell for the rebels when Obama, Sarkozy, Brown, Deiss and Ban Ki-moon of the UN, did nothing to protect people from military attacks.

            

The two most potent actions taken against Qaddafi are the UN suspension of Libya from the Human Rights Council, and the freezing of $30 billion in assets of Qaddafi outside Libya. I forgot, Hillary Clinton had a meeting with Libya’s opposition leader after she had dinner with the leaders of the G8.  Libya as a member of the HRC is an obscenity to civilized people having ordered the bombing of a Pan Am civilian aircraft, imprisoning and torturing political prisoners, and tearing up the UN Charter when he spoke before the General Assembly.   The UN could not even bring itself to boot Libya, and expel its ambassador. With the price of oil exceeding $100 per barrel, Qaddafi will replenish his wealth in less than two years.  Worse, when he regains full control of his country, he will use oil as weapon to further strangle Western economies, and finance evermore terrorist plots.

            

Qaddafi built a web of sycophants spreading his money to give him cover.  The Economist and some newspapers are now reporting how his son bought his degree from The London School of Economics. Professors at the University of Chicago and across the education landscape of America and Europe take Qaddafi money. They then act as spokespeople for the anti-Israel movement lending intellectual credence to the boycott and divestment groups. Entertainers are paid millions for a few hours of work, and urged to encourage others to boycott performing in Israel. Politicians get access to power and money for their libraries, pet projects, and travel the world promoting Qaddafi’s anti-Western, anti-Israel messages.

           

The EU, the UN, and the Obama administration constantly reassure Israel and the Jews that they will protect Israel in the face of an Arab military threat to her existence. They encourage Israel to revert to 1967 borders, give up sole ownership of Jerusalem, and take in thousands of Palestinians as Israeli citizens, while threatening her with sanctions and selective boycotts.   In return, Israel is promised she will have the good faith, trust, and protection from the rest of the world if ever threatened by an Arab army.  Jews are a trusting people, the model immigrant community assimilating and acculturating more completely into their countries of exile more than most others. No one has ever accused the Jews of being stupid, but now the freedom fighters in Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East know how it feels when the West forces you to act live like a mendicant.

Now the fighters for democracy suffering for so long in the Arab prison-states know how we feel. The world stood by during World War II with President Roosevelt refusing to even bomb the train tracks to Auschwitz; they watched massive Arab armies attack the new State of Israel within hours after the UN vote that created her and they did nothing to protect her existence.  They followed Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s to let the Jews bleed a little at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, and refused to swiftly resupply her military arms lost in the first two days.  Does anyone really believe the Western leaders anymore? Do they believe Israeli leaders of for that matter Palestinian leaders trust their words when the West stands idly by watching democracy seekers slaughtered?  The world has always failed the Jews, and now they are failing you.

Dr. Harold Goldmeier Chicago, Ill. 773-764-4357 hgoldmeier@aol.com Dr. Goldmeier was a Chicago Public School teacher, a Research and Teaching Fellow at Harvard University earning a Doctorate in Education, and taught as an Assistant Professor at Tufts Medical School. He worked in government for three Governors, the U. S. Surgeon General, and in children and youth advocacy for nearly two decades. He recently sold his business after nearly three decades. He has been married more than forty years with children living in America and Israel, and a son who recently served with the Israel Defense Forces. He has published more than two-dozen articles in professional journals and popular magazines and newspapers. Dr. Goldmeier currently a writer, consultant to government agencies, and to small businesses on economic growth and marketing. His most recent articles appeared in The Jewish Press on terrorism, and in Haaretz of Israel and he writes a guest post for LifeinIsrael.blogspot.com., Open.Salon.com., and more.