The oldephartte (in training), of course, left this piece for my reading pleasure a little while backIt was an enlightening read. But, when to post it? Just trying to keep up with what is ongoing presently doesn't always leave us much time to recall past occurrences. Let alone take the time to process what really happened. And what was really lost. But, as luck would have it James Corbett did a most interesting interview! And, the time seemed perfect to link this Libya: The Other Side of the Story Caveat: I do take exception with some of the language used and some adherence to 'official' ie: state sponsored narratives. Still, it's a good read!Tripoli's promenade built on modern lines with high-rise buildings, flyovers and green spaces
The Libyan people were one of the least developed in the world when Gaddafi came to power in September, 1969. Under the Senussi monarchy, Libya was one of the poorest countries in the world with an annual income of less than sixty dollars per capita.Muammar Gaddafi based his system on Arab socialism and utilised the vast petroleum wealth to remarkably improve the people’s standard of living in the Arab world and Africa. Most Libyan families now own a home and a car. The public health service is free, and is one of the best in the Arab world and so is education, compulsory and widely open to women.Hospitals and pharmacies in Libya are of international standards and any costs incurred at treatment abroad are paid for by the State.The country has an impressive urban infrastructure that includes well-built road networks, motorways, telecommunication system, water and electricity and other key amenities.
Can you imagine this? Ghadaffi and his tribal bretheren rid the country of the despotic king and in less then 50 years, less then 50 years builds a thriving modern state for the people of Libya. And it took just a very short time for NATO sorties to destroy it all.
The Great Man made River
A map of the great manmade river in Libya which Gaddafi described as the '8th wonder of the world'.
Muammar Gaddafi initiated a unique Libyan project, the “Great Man Made River”, that brought water from under the Sahara Desert in the south of Libya and made it available to coastal cities in the north. The Libyan dictator believed that wars will be fought over access to water throughout the Arab lands in coming years and its control could become even more decisive than petroleum reserves. Hence came his solution to tap the water reserves in various basins of the desert.Foundation of this colossal project was laid in 1984 with an estimated cost of $5 billion. Massive machines pump water from aquifers in Sahara desert in the southern part of the country. The ‘Great Manmade River’ consists of more than 1,300 wells, most more than 500 m deep, and supplies 6,500,000 cubic metres of fresh water per day transported by reinforced concrete pipelines to the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte and elsewhere.
The inauguration was carried out by Col. Gaddafi on 28 August, 1991. According to an Executive Intelligence Review article published in September 1991, the Libyan leader underlined the following in his speech: “After this achievement, American threats against Libya will double…The United States will make excuses, [but] the real reason is to stop this achievement, to keep the people of Libya oppressed.” Gaddafi presented the project to the cheering crowd as a gift to the Third World and called on farmers from neighbouring countries to come to Libya for agriculture.
Gaddafi knew this achievement would guarantee the US &company would show their true face to the globe.Not the Hollywood face of cool men who always get the botox women. No it would be the other face. The face of death & destruction. A face that the world has seen so often but for some reason never seems to recall the look of it?
Gaddafi : Developing Africa
The Libyan autocrat enabled Africa to experience a veritable technological revolution by financing the first African communication satellite. Gaddafi invested $300 million in this landmark project that enabled the whole of the continent to establish telephone links, transmission of television and radio stations, introduction of telemedicine (remote diagnosis), distance learning and education and many other projects of far reaching implications. Before the satellite’s launch in December 2007, African countries paid a fortune to Europe for using their satellites.Gaddafi also provided 15% of the budget of the African Union at the InterAfrican institutional level. This really explains the reluctance of African Union to condemn Gaddafi, in contrast to the Arab League, which abhors him.Gaddafi also extended his generosity to South Africa, Liberia, Madagascar, the countries of the Sahel and central Africa where he financed administrative buildings, hotels, restaurants, NGOs, Islamic organisations, a network of petrol distribution, (via the Libyan National Oil Company), shops, entertainment events – like the Malian Festival of the Desert – and charities.On the other hand, Gaddafi never shied away from supporting rebel movements active in African countries. He extended his support to the Tuaregs in Mali by offering protection and finance during the repression of their movement by Malian government in the 1990’s.The claims of mercenaries fighting for Gaddafi is hardly surprising as back in 2005, he granted a residency permit to all the Nigerian Tuaregs, Malians and other sub-Saharan Africans and provided them free housing. In 2006, Gaddafi called the tribes of the Sahara, including the Tuaregs, to form a coalition to oppose terrorism and drug trafficking.
NATO's reign of terror
Soon after the voting on the UNSC Resolution 1973 on 19th March, NATO jets started bombarding the military positions of the Libyan army and systematically decimated anti-aircraft radars, tanks, heavy artillery and armoured carriers. Libyan navy installations were also attacked by NATO despite the fact that they were charged to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.The Western leaders, initially calling on Gaddafi to step down in exchange for a safe passage, took a U-turn and tacitly gave approval to his assassination. NATO jets bombed one of the houses of Gaddafi family where he was present with his son, Saif Al-Arab. His son and three grandchildren died in the attack. NATO blatantly denied any war crime was committed by targeting a head of state present in a civilian compound.NATO aircraft spared nothing they suspected of being used by pro-Gaddafi forces. Pipeline factories, communications towers, electricity pylons, water and sewerage pipelines, roads and other civilian infrastructure came under the fire of the Coalition forces on numerous occasions which is also a violation of international laws. US President Barack Obama signed an executive order that directed the killing of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family.
Recall this?
The Spoils of War
Gaddafi regime took proceeds of the oil money and distributed the wealth among the Libyan people. Critics of the Gaddafi regime accuse it of stealing oil wealth and stashing it in secret bank accounts in Switzerland and other Western countries while Libyan people suffered from unemployment. Skeptics of the rebels claim that the standard of living of Libyan people is one of the highest in Africa as well as among Arab nations with free education, healthcare and state-subsidised housing available to every Libyan citizen.Libya is the supplier of 2% of worldwide oil production and holds the largest reserves in Africa. Its hydrocarbons are of better quality compared to the Gulf countries, which makes the extraction and shipping easy and profitable. Most of Libya’s high-quality crude flows to European destinations with Italy grabbing one third of its oil exports.Western countries, especially the US, are not ashamed of their selfish interest in Libya due to its massive oil reserves. A recent Reuters report suggested: “Western companies look well positioned as billions of dollars in oil exploration and construction contracts come up for grabs as part of the reconstruction effort.”
Of course there was the Gold Dinar
Now onto James Corbett's interview-
Interview 849 – James and JoAnne Moriarty Reveal the Truth About the Libyan War
Posted by Corbett Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadJoining us on the program today are James and JoAnne Moriarty of LibyanWarTheTruth.com. We discuss their experiences as businesspeople in Libya since 2007 and as eyewitnesses to the destruction wrought by the NATO-sponsored Al-CIAda perpetrated overthrow of that country in 2011
Finally-
"Let the free people of the world know that we could have bargained over and sold out our cause in return for a personal secure and stable life. We received many offers to this effect but we chose to be at the vanguard of the confrontation as a badge of duty and honour. Even if we do not win immediately, we will give a lesson to future generations that choosing to protect the nation is an honour and selling it out is the greatest betrayal that history will remember forever despite the attempts of the others to tell you otherwise
Muammar Qadaffi“Qaddafi website publishes ‘last will’ of Libyan ex-leader”, BBC News,23/10/2011