So now the Ruler of the United States has taken his war one step further than the UN.
The U.N. No Fly resolution demanded an immediate cease fire “or else”.
Libya immediately declared a cease fire. A Cease Fire means you stop firing at each other, it does not mean an army gives up its existing strategic positions. Typically what happens during a cease fire is the logicstics supply chain gets a chance to catch up, then some provocation causes the fighting to resume and the carnage is even worse than with no cease fire.
So imagine that the Iraqi Libyan military has established a checkpoint on the road to Benghazi. “Rebel civilians” in a tank drive up to the checkpoint and open fire. The Iraqi defenders return fire and destroy the tank.
Who broke the cease fire?
Libya has closed the air space of the entire country to all aircraft, declaring its own no-fly zone.
If France violates the Libyan imposed no fly zone while Libya is in compliance with the UN no-fly zone resolution, who just violated international law?
The moral high ground is getting very slippery.
Libya has more resources at its disposal inside Benghzi than just the military.
Do you mean Libyan instead if Iraqi?
Haha…. it’s been very hard to avoid doing that.
President Barry Osama is getting tough isn’t he? Against a ruler who is killing his people? Against the overwhelming strength of the military might of Libya?
Has everyone forgot how Russia rolled over Georgia? Where was the tough talking Barry Osama then?
Was Russia a despotic ruler? Not the same … despotic yes, but not a single ruler. A despotic committee, really.
Was Russia killing it’s own citizens? Not the same … killing innocent citizens, but of a subjected puppet country, so not the same.
Could it have been because Russia has just a bit more military capability than Libya?
Could it have been because Russia has a seat on the Security Council, and there was no way anything would have gotten thru their veto?
Big Bad Barry picking on the little kid. And he is lecturing on not being a bully?
I remember when Bush decided to go into Iraq – at the time Iraq had the 6th largest standing army. So, how large is the Libyan army?
I rest my case.
Compare and contrast: Libya vs Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/03/18/47586544.html
President Laurent Gbagbo says he is the leader of the country. Alassane Ouattara won an election last year. The Constitutional Election Council named the current President Gbagbo the winner anyhow. Now Ivory coast has two presidents and a Civil War.
The United Nations has demanded an immediate cease fire, 500,000 refugees have fled the country.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/17/c_13783911.htm
Nigeria is sending mercenaries to help the “Rebel” forces
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Ivory-Coast-Incumbent-President-Nigeria-Arming-Rebels-118262504.html
Rebel leaders declare they “don’t want war” while they are busy attacking
http://www.economist.com/node/18400458?story_id=18400458&fsrc=rss
France wants UN sanctions against the Loyalist leader
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/100208/
UN says that Loyalist military is committing war crimes
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/United_Nations_says_Ivory_Coast_shelling_may_be_'war_crime‘?dpl_id=251163
NPR notices that “The Media” only care about Libya – perhaps the American News media (aka CNN and Fox News) doesn’t care about civil wars among black people
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/14/134528904/the-root-libya-eclipses-ivory-coast-in-the-media
Barry is off for a 4 day speaking tour in South America.
Well, Libya (if you consider it all one country) has a population of around 8 million. Iraq’s population is around 31 million.
If I rely on wikipedia*, the army has about 25,000 and is poorly equipped and trained. Their main purpose is to keep those black Africans from coming across the desert. Chad whipped their butt just before Qadaffi led his coup.
Libya has a problem with maintenance of Russian equipment, which is hard for the Russians to do on their own turf – let alone sand storms and high temperatures. Most of the tanks the “Rebels” are in control of are inoperable. The main role of tanks is to destroy other tanks. If the other side has no tanks, they are of much less strategic importance.
What they do have is armored transport vehicles with light weapons (which I’ve seen one called a “tank” by the “journalists”). The most potent thing Qadaffi has is MRLVs. They’re a heavy duty truck with 64 rocket launchers on the back that can hit targets 12 miles away.
I’m not a soldier, but I’ve played one on my PC. The key tactical thing in ground wars is what is called “standoff range”. If your weapon system can destroy the enemy at 12 miles, and his weapon can hit yours at 10 miles, you win every time.
If we supply the “rebels” with our MRLVS that can hit targets at 50 miles, the rebels win, unless they blow up their own soldiers or themselves.
Then again, innocent civilians during a cease-fire wouldn’t be aiming MLRVs at anything.