The Dangers of Libya

As rebel fighters take the capitol city of Tripoli, we should remember the dangers of meddling in foreign affairs. The Obama administration has called for Muammar Gaddafi to step down and allow the rebels to take control of the country. We have helped the rebels to overthrow Gaddafi's government with the assistance of NATO forces.

One More War: Why the Hell Not?

Cross posted at the Antiwar.com blog. Come and check it out!

A new expose from the Nation by Jeremy Scahill detailing the CIA’s same, old dirty tricks is certainly troubling. Candidate Obama assured the American public that extrajudicial actions by the CIA and Defense Department were a thing of the past. Transparency, much like hope and change, were buzz words that were constantly used to show everybody that the era of Bush was over. A new ethical era was to take hold in the White House, and would be anchored by Nancy Pelosi’s vow to oversee a Congress of integrity.

Just as Obama campaigned to make the most sweeping changes when it came to the realm of foreign policy (Guantanamo Bay, ending the war in Iraq, ending torture, etc.), it was in foreign policy that he became the most like Bush. In fact, many would argue that Obama has not only continued many of Bush’s odious practices, but has institutionalized all of these practices because of his refusal to change course.

While the secret prison that was discussed in length surely was troubling, it almost seems like the least of worries when compared to some of the statements made by officials concerning future plans for Somalia. And yes, that comparison still holds for a prison “infested with bedbugs and mosquitoes” that result in prisoners getting rashes, prompting them to “scratch themselves incessantly.”

Bin Laden Protesters Are Not Irrational

Originally posted on my blog.

As might have been expected, protests have erupted in the Middle East against the U.S. over the death of Osama bin Laden.

Now, obviously bin Laden did some awful things and was, to one degree or another, responsible for the unwarranted death of many.  However, these protesters — though perhaps uneducated, or to some extent misinformed — are not irrational; they’re protesting with…I hesitate to say “good reason,” given the more harmful courses of action sometimes taken… but certainly with a reason.  It’s the same reason bin Laden’s cause was popular, and it’s written right on their signs:  They want to be left alone — and U.S. foreign policy persistently doesn’t do that.

As the former chief of the CIA's Osama bin Laden unit Michael Scheuer wrote about bin Laden and his supporters, "The focused and lethal threat posed to U.S. national security arises not from Muslims being offended by what America is, but rather from their plausible perception that the things they most love and value—God, Islam, their brethren, and Muslim lands—are being attacked by America." Or, to put it more simply, "They hate us for what we do, not who we are."

Somalian Blowback

The NY Times reported today that Somalia has been experiencing more violent turmoil as its Shabab militant group has continued the exponential harassment of local populations “to turn Somalia into a seventh-century-style Islamic state.”

What was extremely troubling, however, was “the American military providing intelligence and logistical support” for the Somali government. Although Shabab is working closely with Al Qaeda, America has yet to learn anything from blowback. Al Qaeda’s operations in Somalia are aimed to target the Somali government and have nothing to do with the security of the United States. Furthermore, Shabab and Al Qaeda’s strive to gain a foothold in Somalia are slowly failing, not because of American interventionism, but because of what the NY Times reported to be the populace “now whispering valuable secrets about the Shaba’s movements into the ears of government soldiers.” Additionally, “defectors are leaving the Shabab in droves,” while the “young men joined the local militia” to fend off Shabab fighters. 

Evidently, Somalia is able to fend for itself.