More on Russia’s Syrian Stance
There are a number of very understandable reasons why Russia refused to agree to the UN resolution. Yet, the most interesting argument being made is that Russia is rejecting the international consensus on Syria because of how the intervention in Libya evolved into a regime change operation.
The End of the Responsibility to Protect?
My new piece is up at Foreign Policy Journal: Critics of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and interventionism in general have long accused international humanitarian action of being a form of imperialism cloaked in humanitarianism. The BRIC/IBSA countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa; hereafter referred to as BRICS) are beginning to unite … Read more
Will Oil Drown the Libyan Revolution?
Michael Ross wrote a pretty interesting piece in the latest Foreign Affairs (subscription required) about the possibility that the prevalence of oil in many Arab countries will dampen the effects of the Arab Spring. The boiled down thesis is that monarchs and dictators who are fortunate enough to run countries blessed with immense oil wealth … Read more
Quote of the Day: The Injustice Behind Aliyah
Aliyah is, of course, the right of any Jew to move to Israel and to receive Israeli citizenship simply because they are Jewish. In fact, the right to settle in Israel is expanded to a “child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew … Read more
Why is NATO in Libya?
So NATO is clearly following the UN mandate that authorized a NATO no fly zone in order to protect civilians (and nothing more.) Responding to whether NATO would pursue Qaddafi military vehicles fleeing south to Niger and possibly Burkina Faso, Colonel Roland Lavoie, the NATO mission’s military spokesman, said: To be clear, our mission is to … Read more
“It Doesn’t Really Matter How Much Support He Has Left”
The big news in Libya today is the convey of 200-250 Libyan military vehicles that has reportedly crossed the border into Niger, perhaps on their way to Burkino Faso. Over the years Burkino Faso has received a substantial amount of support from the Qaddafi regime (Qaddafi was a major player in the coup that brought … Read more
Could Qaddafi Have Freed Shalit?
Asharq Alawsat is reporting that deposed Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi had offered to secure the release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit and to sign an official peace treaty with Israel in exchange for an end to the NATO airstrikes. Qaddafi had apparently contacted Druze politician Ayoob Kara and presented his offer before being forced … Read more
Proof That NATO is Relevant. And Irrelevant, Part II
Apparently George Grant is not the only one who thought that the performance of of a handful of powerful militaries working under the guise of NATO is proof that the transatlantic alliance is still healthy. David Abshire, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO from 1983-1987, writes that the speed with which NATO acted in Libya, as compared to … Read more
Trump: US Should Steal Libyan Oil
Donald Trump apparently thinks that the United States should be taking the oil in Libya as a fee for supporting the rebels. Perhaps, according to Trump, the US should be making deals with rebel organizations promising 50% of their oil revenue in exchange for supporting democracy. You have all these rebels running around… Are … Read more
Chris Keeler
Chris Whitman
