“Were the ironies of taxation any better: raising money for schools and hospitals and roads and bridges, and spending it on blowing up schools and hospitals and roads and bridges in self-defeating wars?”
–Edward St. Aubyn
A man surveys the scene after a NATO bombing in Libya.
In the midst of Arab Spring, the imperial watchdog of the USA that is NATO began a military intervention in Libya on 19 March 2011. The argument that was used to justify the invasion was the principle of international law, i.e. Responsibility to Protect R2P. However, the coalition went against the mandate given to it. Instead of protecting the population of Libya from the threats of genocide, NATO was more interested in the regime change. Once Qaddafi was removed from power and later on killed, Libyan situation got out of hand.
During the last days of his presidency, Barak Obama was asked about the worst mistake he made while in the office. His reply didn’t shock anyone when he mentioned NATO intervention in Libya. For all who are against foreign interventions were warning the US and its cohorts to refrain from launching a military strike in the country.
Thanks to the imperial power and champions of civilisation, today’s Libya is bitterly divided among various militant groups each having its own sphere of influence on Libyan soil. Once the most developed country in the region, Libya is yet to recover from the damages of intervention that was aimed at protecting the civilians.