Different Endings and Unpalatable Outcomes

Postscripts to Western Arrogance

As the war drums sound over Syria, it may be prudent to stop and reflect upon Libya.  Remember Libya?  The United States (along with NATO) decided that it had to get involved to support Libyan rebels attempting to overthrown dictator, Colonel Qaddafi.  The mission was eventually accomplished.  Poor old Muammar ended up in a culvert and was shot to pieces by vengeful rebels.

The US felt good.  Mission accomplished.  The US President and congressional hawks looked in the mirror and raised a few toasts.  The Lone Ranger and the Invincibles and the Super Heroes had ridden forth again, vanquished the evil one, and retired from the theatre.  They, no doubt, in raising the toast saw in the mirror adumbrations of one of the great fictional heroes of the West: "He was the man who rode into our little valley, out of the heart of the great glowing West and when his work was done, rode back whence he had come.  And he was Shane."  Whoop-de-do.  Yeeeee hah.

But what of Libya?
  Stupid question.  It would naturally now rise to a better place--"up, up, up past the Russell Hotel."  Actually, Libya has already disintegrated, into a lawless morass.  This, from The Independent:

As world attention focused on the coup in Egypt and the poison gas attack in Syria over the past two months, Libya has plunged unnoticed into its worst political and economic crisis since the defeat of Gaddafi two years ago. Government authority is disintegrating in all parts of the country putting in doubt claims by American, British and French politicians that Nato’s military action in Libya in 2011 was an outstanding example of a successful foreign military intervention which should be repeated in Syria.

In an escalating crisis little regarded hitherto outside the oil markets, output of Libya’s prized high-quality crude oil has plunged from 1.4 million barrels a day earlier this year to just 160,000 barrels a day now. Despite threats to use military force to retake the oil ports, the government in Tripoli has been unable to move effectively against striking guards and mutinous military units that are linked to secessionist forces in the east of the country.

Libyans are increasingly at the mercy of militias which act outside the law. Popular protests against militiamen have been met with gunfire; 31 demonstrators were shot dead and many others wounded as they protested outside the barracks of “the Libyan Shield Brigade” in the eastern capital Benghazi in June.

Time and time again stupid Western ideologues use the pretext of horrors being perpetrated elsewhere in the world as a reason for military engagement--to sort it all out.  Fast forward a couple of years, and things in that place end up worse than ever.  Except now nothing can be done.

Where is that sense of humility which, at the outset, concludes that nothing helpful can actually be achieved by wars and that getting involved will most likely (if history is any guide) result in far worse outcomes?  Unfortunately such a mindset would deny the vaunted arrogance and ambition, the pride of rulers and political leaders.  Not to push the buttons and order the bombing, whilst acknowledging weakness and limits and impotence,  would be conduct unbecoming great leaders of great nations, don't you know.

Though the Nato intervention against Gaddafi was justified as a humanitarian response to the threat that Gaddafi’s tanks would slaughter dissidents in Benghazi, the international community has ignored the escalating violence. The foreign media, which once filled the hotels of Benghazi and Tripoli, have likewise paid little attention to the near collapse of the central government.

The reality in Libya today is the dirty truth which self-important Western leaders (and the nations they lead) refuse to face.  Just move on to the next "crisis" which can be used as the next pretext to display our wondrous war-making capacities and powers to "set things right". 

Libya is descending into multi-tribal warfare.  It will likely cease to be a country in any meaningful sense.  Ironically, prudent people warned that this would be the likely outcome well before US and NATO bombing started.  But they were ignored by the Western warmongers at the time.

Rule by local militias is also spreading anarchy around the capital. Ethnic Berbers, whose militia led the assault on Tripoli in 2011, temporarily took over the parliament building in Tripoli. . . . The Interior Minister, Mohammed al-Sheikh, resigned last month in frustration at being unable to do his job, saying in a memo sent to Mr Zeidan that he blamed him for failing to build up the army and the police. He accused the government, which is largely dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, of being weak and dependent on tribal support.

Other critics point out that a war between two Libyan tribes, the Zawiya and the Wirrshifana, is going on just 15 miles from the Prime Minister’s office.

Imagine a post-script to Schaeffer's classic, Shane.  

He was the man who rode into our little valley, out of the heart of the great glowing West and when his work was done, rode back whence he had come.  And he was Shane.

Two months later the big ranchers banded together, hired some thugs, and systematically rode through the valley slaughtering the small-holders, before they turned their guns on one another.  

So it is turning out in Libya.  So, we predict, it will likewise turn out in Syria.  We would offer a humble proposition: the United States is not the Saviour of the world.  The Saviour of the world does not share His glory with the United States. Neither with NATO.  Nor with the West.  To which we would add this admonition: cease your arrogant and vainglorious pre-emptions.  Clothe yourself with humility.  Kiss the feet of the Saviour before His anger is kindled and He turns upon you and yours.