US foreign policy is falling apart, and it seems like NATO is helping. That may be hard to believe, but only to those who think that the world operates like clockwork, or that history runs on rails. The truth is that we no longer live in a Newtonian universe but one ruled by Chaos. And as we now know, Chaos creates all the Beauty we see. The Libyan revolution confirms this.
All the Experts predicted that anything that could go wrong would go wrong, and that this rabble could never organise itself in its own defence. They were all wrong, at every stage. They were still calculating using Newtonian clockwork politics, and had forgotten the new world we are now in. The old Newtonian politics were easily controlled by a tiny elite. And radical, theories like progressive anarchism and socialism were therefore always an impractical dream, impossible while information and communication were as monopolised as they once were.
The explosion of free information, and the ability to process and exchange it has allowed the flow of natural, organic forces into politics. Giving those outside the credit loop as much power as those fixing the interest rates.
Hi, I owe you a comment.
ReplyDeleteNever mind the parts about "chaos" and "beauty" - I could really go off there. I'd like to contest your argument that "the myth of Ghadaffi the valiant defier of imperialism is exploded." You cite some pragmatic connections with a few people and governments and the "Blair-Huggins Lockerbie agreement." I presume that's the deal to send "the bomber" home in trade for oil deals? Why does everyone who gripes about that ignore that the extra condition of this release that Megrahi's appeal be surrendered? They didn't fear it, did they?
As for "another poodle in the pack bred and kennelled and trained to quash every sign of democracy"- really? US State Dept. concerned in 2007-08 of increasin "resource nationalism" from Libya. Oil companies walking away in '07-'09 because of business unfriendly policies to benefit Libyans. Promoting in 2008 a United States of Africa, to unify the continent against neo-imperialism, and creating one African currency and army. Allegedly plotting to kill CP Abdullah, a fellow preened poodle.
All lynchpins of Anglo-American world policy?
If a puppet, why was the West so eager to destroy his government? You might say they weren't, that the horrible slaughter ("rabies") forced their hand. But the evidence suggests there was no slaughter, just reports of such one could believe or not, depending on prior interests...
I also hear from Rebel sources that Gaddafi was a tool of Western Imperialism, for cooperating against al Qaeda.In fact, he started co-operating ahead of the West in 1996, after the West used al Qaeda to attack Libya like they were doing with Yugoslavia.
So anyway,you could be right, but if so, Western imperialism is a lot broader in its program than I used to think. Damn shame they had to loose such a great obedient poodle and be stuck, against their will, with the real choice of Libya's masses.
CL. I owe you a response.
ReplyDeleteAnd all I can say is that I've never seen any 'method' to imperialism at all...
It is a schizophrenic Catch 22 world managed by technicians who have to be able to believe contrary propositions are equally true, just in case.
As for the Bengazi Pacifist Experiment, in which a city of 700,000 is gambled against the principle of passive resistance, surely you don't believe such a thing was worth the risk? There is ample evidence of the slaughter which provoked the main battalion in Bengazi to defect. Just as there is, and mounting, of Gadaffi's collusion with the west. Blair is due a grilling apparently, which should be fun.
How western imperialism chooses to resolve its contradictions over the next year, and respond positively to the Arab Revolutions, is its problem. It will be a very interesting year.
I'll have to contest your assessment too of the "ample evidence of the slaughter which provoked the main battalion in Bengazi to defect. "
ReplyDeleteThe evidence I have has the "protesters" blowing open their barracks with a suicide bomber (Mahdi Ziu), then killing the soldiers inside and beheading at least one. The defector was Younes, and he only came later and traded his services to the insurgency/coup in trade for the soldiers remaining to leave in peace. A spot of mercy allowed in trade, but otherwise ugly. That's partof the "beauty of chaos" I chose to not lead off with.
But yeah, we'll see if the early connections with Mesmari, Dabbashi, et al. and the bombing and so on puts the Westerners in a position to make up for their past with the dictator. Or will the self-freed people of Libya seek revenge next against those who didn't murder the regime outright years ago, those smug imperialists who simply toying with frame-ups and sanctions, one bombing attack in 86, one expansive takeover attempt in 96, and a few measly assassination attempts...
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ReplyDeleteThe storming of the Khatiba barracks was a great moment of history, you're right. How many GI's died on Omaha Beach again? And How many German POW's did they kill that time after the Battle of the Bulge? Why is the Libyan Revolution supposed to be ultra Politically Correct? In fact, given the circumstances, the amount of revenge and inhumanity is alarmingly low, for some.
ReplyDeleteThere was an interesting phrase used by one of the witnesses in the BBC report into allegations of rape by FF forces. He said 'We are paying the price for Ghadaffi.' Not 'we are being BLAMED'.
He was quite able to see the distinction between the sporadic recrimination and debasement inevitable when 40 years of ruthless, determined tyranny are overthrown; and a systematic programme of persecution.
The fact is that we only know about any abuses because of the revolution and the way it has been pursued. A Gadaffi style military coup would never have allowed journalists and observers from all countries the same unprecedented freedom of the battlefield.
And the anti-revolutionaries now try to appropriate the results of that transparency and harness it against the revolution. The hypocrisy is staggering. Even more so when the same results could usefully be harnessed to their alleged 'anti-war' wagon, which by their nature they reinforce. War does result in abuses such as rape and other revenge attacks by certain elements. We knew this.
Why there had to be a war at all, only one man knows.