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Exceptional massacre
For me, one of the most striking aspects of the horrible slaughter in Libya is how much our expectations have changed. When did we start believing that authoritarian dictators could be unseated with a minimum of bloodshed? It's tempting to see 1989 as the watershed year in this regard, though I don't know if that's giving too little attention to the wave of democratisation in Latin America that preceded it. And even then the thrill of seeing Communist regimes topple like deck chairs before a gale was tempered by the bloody mess of Tiananmen Square.
Four years later, a civil war was in full swing in Algeria in the wake of a de facto military coup; within a decade, perhaps 200,000 died, most of them civilians. And what we have now in Libya is rapidly coming to resemble an old-fashioned civil war more than a people power revolution. Despite the flurry of recent trade agreements, Gaddafi is clearly no more amenable to outside pressure than he ever was. If anything, he's only become more delusional--one glance at his recent pair of appearances is enough to confirm that.
All things considered, I'm amazed that the confirmed body count isn't already above four figures. It's a stark reminder, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fengshui pointed out recently, of just how badly the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt could've gone. Here's hoping it's a powerful example to the remaining dictators of What Not To Do. Already Bahrain seems to be leaning back from the abyss, though the damage already done may prove the ruling family's undoing. (Making martyrs out of Shi'ites--what could go wrong with that plan?)
Four years later, a civil war was in full swing in Algeria in the wake of a de facto military coup; within a decade, perhaps 200,000 died, most of them civilians. And what we have now in Libya is rapidly coming to resemble an old-fashioned civil war more than a people power revolution. Despite the flurry of recent trade agreements, Gaddafi is clearly no more amenable to outside pressure than he ever was. If anything, he's only become more delusional--one glance at his recent pair of appearances is enough to confirm that.
All things considered, I'm amazed that the confirmed body count isn't already above four figures. It's a stark reminder, as
fengshui pointed out recently, of just how badly the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt could've gone. Here's hoping it's a powerful example to the remaining dictators of What Not To Do. Already Bahrain seems to be leaning back from the abyss, though the damage already done may prove the ruling family's undoing. (Making martyrs out of Shi'ites--what could go wrong with that plan?)
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I have to wonder in the case of the Egyptian military, if they took the stand of not shooting the people and remaining in control until Mubarak could stumble into the reality that he had lost power, so that they could keep their borders secure, unlike what happened when we dismantled the Iraqi army after the invasion.
With Libya there is still the possibility that a general strike/its not safe to be on the streets - exerts its own kind of pressure - the thing is we don't know how deep elite (millitary, business, government) opposition runs. the BBC had China and the UK evacuating or preparing to evacuate their citizens - I don't know how long they can go with economic disruption.
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Alley-Oopesque bludgeons - no you aren't the only one - been a long time since I've had that image. Its somewhat reassuring that they hold the border with Egypt, I can't imagine the Egyptian army doing much more than holding that border and what might become a potential refugee crisis if this is a civil war that goes on for any length of time.
A report I read in the last 48 hours had Quaddafi's air force is hitting civilian targets, the claim that they were hitting break away factions of the millitary does not really hold water, at least not entirely. I have to wonder if this isn't part of the general assertion of war crimes, or genocide against his own people - and use these phrases as paraphrase of opposition statements - IIRC the Libyan ambassador to the UN.
Actually I should see if I can stream the BBC radio, surely there's an App for that?
Unlikely, that....
Re: Unlikely, that....
BTW - the BBC iPhone app is in development and they are soliciting donations to fund the completion of its development.
I should look at Al-Jazeera, or hopefully listen to or read Al-Jazeera - they have as much of a democratizing role as Facebook and Twitter in this recent spate of conflicts.
Re: Unlikely, that....
Al jezeera has no such qualms:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/al-jazeera-english-live/id318348833?mt=8
Oddly enough, so far the one country I've heard the least about in the area is.. qatar. Imagine that
Re: Unlikely, that....
Thank you for the Al-Jazeera app link!
To clarify, I am in the U.S I am listening via Real Player - and I am able to access that via their news portion of their website, to the BBC world service. A lot of the BBC's online streaming content is restricted - I can't get any of the BBC sports streaming for example, but that's minor.
It is a little humorous that Qatar has not seen any violence, not that I have any understanding of political conditions there beyond the presence of Al-Jazeera and statements about political conditions for Women and GLTBQs there in connection with their selection for the World Cup. Perhaps the basic concession of journalism has given the general population enough of an assurance on basic foundational civil rights and the possibility for it to grow that... well what do I know of what will happen in Qatar next.