Posted by
Bill Crawford on Sunday, March 20, 2011 5:54:49 PM
Imagine the United Nations, acting as one. How long has it been? Twenty years, that's how long. They last found unity when Saddam tried to annex Kuwait. Now, Gadhafi (is that how you spell it now?) has brought them all together. How?
First, while he is an oil exporter, he is a much smaller factor in the OPEC scheme of things than when he took power in the '70's. Secondly, none of the long term established Arab nations like terrorists- they just allow convenient marriages when it suits them. Like if said terrorists are pesky like morons who keep the Soviets and Americans too busy to bother with li'l old them.
Finally, there is the new factor: the various factions of Muslim fundamentalists out and about in the region now are in love with the popular upsrisings taking hold all over there now. They hope to do the two step and follow a vacuum of power into a great new influence in the region.
That all means that, when the Security Council voted this week on the use of force against Libya, he didn't have any more friends. And that is going some, being that his pals there had no problem allowing his country to stand in regular rotation in the U.N. Human Rights Commission. Imagine that.
And now we have a situation where Obama can actually be talked into the projection of American military power. A unanimous Security Council, along with other countries providing the lead in air power.
Not that France or Great Britain would do it without us first taking out command and control and air defense with our stuff. Gadhafi is fighting us with the same stuff he had over the Gulf of Sidra in 1986, adding spare parts. What he is learning now is that our stuff has advanced at least two generations since then, I hope he has a plan B.
Editor's note: for all of you anal retentives out there that noted the Security Council resolution vote was 10-5, the five votes were abstentions, not "nay". In the Turtle Bay world, that is the best you will ever get.