Libya: International Air Strikes

Last night my friend and I had finished dinner and decided to catch up on developments in Libya. Comfortable, warm and safe with our democratic and human rights firmly in tact, we sat in front of the television screen, a membrane between our bodies and the horrors of the outside world. Protected from violation, preserved from any ideas that our world may suddenly be breached we watched a live report from Al Jazeera of a Libyan fighter plane that sustained a direct hit and crashed into the ground in Benghazi. It had only moments earlier been involved in air strikes over that area. As we watched the spectacle of it's streamlined silver body moving with great velocity through the sky and then leaping into flames before it rushed headlong towards the earth amidst a dense black cloud of smoke, I reminded myself not to get caught up in the absolutely spectacular cinematic visuals of such an event, as we all did when we witnessed the footage, played over and over again on television screens of Flight 175 as it struck the side of the South Tower of the World Trade Centre on 9.11.2001. I reminded myself that when the Libyan fighter jet hit the ground at 400mph that a pilot died in the instant of our watching and many civilians may have been injured by the debris. That we so readily relate to images of fire is understandable, the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard said fire, is intimate and it is universal. It lives in our heart. It lives in the sky. It rises from the depths of the substance and offers itself with the warmth of love. Or it can go back down into the substance and hide there, latent and pent-up, like hate and vengeance. (Psychoanalysis of Fire, 1938). The fire that we see emanating from the falling jet is a consequence of a failing mechanism, but it is also metaphor of the passion of a people who want human rights and the occasion to voice it - a sound to create transformation. The deafening vibrations of the two FA18 fighter jets that flew over Melbourne earlier this month, which unsettled my quiet little life for a few minutes took on new significance last night as I watched the Libyan footage. And I thought of the people, ordinary people like you or I who  must have experienced extreme panic as the jet hurtled towards the earth only kilometers from a large block of flats. Benghazi people were already fleeing to Egypt. My children were vomiting from fear said one woman in a report to Reuters. Benghazi residents were angry at the West's delay. "Europe and America have sold us out. We have been hearing bombing all night, and they have been doing nothing". I write this out of sympathy, I write this from the comfort of my home, I write this with no fear of retribution and that's such a blessing!

no fly don't fly

I remember ads on TV for aerosol spray that involved a human arm in a cage of mosquitos. Press a button, and the arm became a no-fly zone.

This morning my inbox is stuffed with pleas to support a no-fly zone in Libya, of all places, in order to protect civilians.

A no-fly zone over Libya will involve sending our young men to to kill their young men.

Three weeks ago world political peak body the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family, and referred Libya's crackdown on anti-government demonstrators to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The most serious allegation against the Gaddafi regime is that 257 civilians were murdered by government forces in the eastern city of Benghazi between 15 and 20 February. On March 3 the ICC announced it had commenced an investigation after a preliminary finding that the referral warranted further action.

The Australian left have long standing ties to Libyan workers. A quarter of a century ago a group of Australian Left Labour state politicians, described as "deeply, deeply anti-American", "disgraceful" and an "embarrassment" travelled to Libya to prove that allegations by the American government that Libya had a chemical weapons factory were untrue.

A lifetime later and I'm invited to go to a website, avaaz.org. Press a button, the website says, and Libya will become a no-fly zone. Send a message, the website says, and Libya will become a no-fly zone, and your privacy will be protected.

I guess in an age of video simulation and online WOW going to war with Libya sounds as easy as pressing a button. But a no-fly zone over Libya will involve sending our young men to kill their young men.

I'm not going to press the button. I didn't go to Libya either. The International Criminal Court is the first permanent international independent tribunal dealing with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. If it provides a path less travelled than ones involving force of arms and the cries of dying men in pain then the journey will be all the more worthwhile.

Crimes against humanity!

The tsunami and it's ultimate destruction of life and property in many prefectures in Japan was unavoidable, however what can be avoided by peoples of the world is the brutal retribution being inflicted on Libyans who oppose the Gaddafi (معمر القذافي‎ Muʿammar al-Qaddāfī) regime. As a person of the world concerned with peace for the Libyan people, you can help by reading this open letter from Avaaz.org - The World in Action, and signing the petition for a no-fly zone. A no-fly zone is an airspace in which aircraft, especially military aircraft, are forbidden to fly. They'e set up so that air force attacks cannot be made on civilian populations. The Greens as well as our Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd have asked for a no-fly zone over Libya and support is needed.

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Dear friends,

The Arab League has introduced a UN resolution for a Libya no-fly zone, and a world-wide outcry is needed for it to pass. Send an urgent message to the UN Security Council and protect the Libyan people:

The Arab League has just formally proposed a resolution at the UN Security Council to create a no-fly zone over Libya. After weeks of international deadlock, this is the moment of truth - and if we don't persuade the UN to act now, we could see in Libya one of the worst bloodbaths of our new century.

Qaddafi's forces are crushing the rebellion town by town. If they retake the country, brutal retribution awaits Libyans who challenged the regime. Already, reports of torture and killing are flowing from retaken areas.

Ordinary Libyans are asking if the world has abandoned them. The Avaaz community is deeply committed to non-violence, but enforcing a no-fly zone to ground Qaddafi's gunships is one case where UN-backed military action seems necessary. Polls of our community show 86% of us support a no-fly zone. Now, as the decisive UN vote nears, it's time for the biggest outcry we can raise.

We cheered when Libya's people rose up, and we cannot, we must not, ignore their plea for help now, in their darkest hour. Even if you've sent one before, click to send a message to the UN Security Council now:

The UN is split, but the ground is shifting rapidly - with China, Russia, and Germany arguing against, and the Arab League, the Islamic Conference, the UK, and France pushing in favor. The US and India are on the fence. This is no old-style East-West debate, nor, as some fear, an oil-grab conspiracy. The Libyan provisional council, which France has recognized as Libya's legitimate government, is desperately calling for the no-fly zone and international support, but with each passing day, the danger grows that any help will come too late.

A no-fly zone alone isn't a silver bullet - it should be matched by still-stronger targeted sanctions and asset freezes, jamming of Qaddafi's violence-inciting broadcasts, and more countries extending diplomatic recognition to Libya's provisional council. Even with all of that, it could fall short. But those opposing strong action must ask whether, with tens of thousands of lives in the balance, they're ready to call for inaction.

International law and the UN Security Council have made clear that, when mass crimes against humanity are committed, the international community has a responsibility to protect people from these crimes, even if their attacker is their own government. While we do not yet know the full magnitude of Qaddafi's crimes, we cannot look away.

In the best-case scenario, Qaddafi would react to a UN resolution about a no-fly zone by ending his air attacks. But if he does not, enforcing the no-fly zone would require strikes on fighters he attempts to use, and possibly air strikes on Qaddafi's anti-aircraft missile batteries. There is a chance that a no-fly zone could lead to deeper international military involvement in Libya.

While the world (and Avaaz) objected strongly to George W. Bush's war in Iraq, and we have advocated for peaceful solutions to conflicts in numerous places, this is not Iraq. If we don't act soon, Libya could look more like Darfur, with massive crimes against humanity committed against whole communities of people. The Qaddafi regime has a long history of torture, massacring its own people and sponsoring international terrorism, and the Libyan people are unified against Qaddafi’s troops – even his own tribe and hometown have distanced themselves from his actions.

The situation in Libya - and the world's response to it  - is complex, with many different actors and agendas, and the future of a post-Qaddafi Libya remains unclear. While this complexity must dictate the care we take in our actions, for the sake of tens of thousands of Libyan people, it cannot, it must not, render us inactive. Let's make the best choice we can, and act, now. With hope,

Stephanie, Ricken, Ben, Alice, Graziela, Benjamin, Rewan, and the whole Avaaz team