Ever since the Arab Spring and the rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, Libya hasn’t tasted the ‘sweet’ peace and stability that it had desired. The EurAsian Times gives an insight into war-torn Libya and how the US, UK, and France destroyed the progressive country.
€ 11 Billion Missing from Frozen Accounts of Gaddafi’s Family in Euroclear Bank
The oil-rich nation is riddled with a crippled economy and politically-backed militias. And the icing on the cake is that Libya has two functioning governments. After Gaddafi’s government was toppled in 2010, the National Transitional Council was formed in 2011 to act as an interim authority in the rebel-controlled areas.
According to The Citizen “, a multinational coalition led by NATO forces intervened in March 2011 to protect the civilians against attacks by the government’s forces.” Rebels encouraged by the USA, UK, and France eventually killed Gaddafi in 2012.
A Libyan Political Agreement was signed under the aegis of the United Nations in 2015. This brought about a new UN-supported ‘unity government called the Government of National Accord’ (GNA), which is headed by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.
In the summer of 2016, the Libyan House of Representatives withdrew its recognition of the GNA by voting against it.
Libya Was a Mistake
Former US President Barack Obama in 2016 admitted that Libya was the biggest mistake of his presidency. The lack of planning for the aftermath of Gaddafi’s ouster in Libya left the country spiraling into chaos and falling under the threat of violent extremists.
Obama also made a searing critique of the former British prime minister David Cameron and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for their roles in the bombing campaign in Libya. Moreover, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson admitted that Libya is a result of the crime – a disaster, blunder, and ‘big mistake’ of the West.
In an interview with Atlantic magazine, Obama said Cameron had become distracted and Sarkozy wanted to promote his country during the 2011 NATO-led military intervention. Since the fall of Gaddafi, Libya has been ruled by rival militias, with the Islamic State gaining influence.
The Ruler with the Iron Fist
The West depicts Gaddafi as reigning over Libya for a little over four decades with an iron fist. He eliminated all political opposition and restricted the lives of Libyans. He was also one of the few world leaders that stood up to the US, the UK, and France.
While the international media highlighted Gaddafi denied the Libyans the right to vote, they forgot to show the world that under Gaddafi, education and health care were free for all.
His government provided a grant of up to $50,000 to newlyweds to buy their first house though it has been highlighted as a tedious process full of paperwork. Gaddafi gave the world the Great Man-Made River Project to make water available to the whole country. Moreover, Libya was a rich nation on its own. It didn’t have any debts.
Global Research has revealed that Gaddafi was steering Libya for a strong and truly United States of Africa. He was putting the interests of local labor above foreign capital.
In August 2011, President Obama confiscated a whopping $30 billion from Libya’s Central Bank. Gaddafi had set this money for the establishment of the African IMF and African Central Bank.
For over 40 years, the said dictator promoted economic democracy and used the nationalized oil wealth to sustain progressive social welfare programs for all Libyans.
Gaddafi upheld and promoted women’s rights. Now the UN-backed regime is clamping down on women’s rights and is, in fact, patriarchal.
After NATO’s intervention, Libya plunged and continues to drown. The West’s objective was only to take Gaddafi out and take full control of Libya’s natural resources – oil.
