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Murtaza Mehdi Kate Flom WRD 104-335 05/28/2013

Mission Assassination of a Nation, Libya. In March 2011, NATO forces led by the United States of America invaded Libya. Most of the countrys infrastructure was destroyed and the countrys leader, General Mummar Gaddafi was shot and killed in the streets of Sirte, where rebels fired gunshots in the air and claimed victory over the country. During this invasion, all of General Mummar Gaddafis family members, friends, and supporters were either killed or exiled. Since the invasion of Libya, numerous organizations including the United Nations have raised concerns, and have claimed that the invasion of Libya and the death of General Mummar Gaddafi were both illegal, as the sovereignty of Libya was violated, and the leaders death was an extrajudicial killing; therefore, a war crime. Although requested by many individuals and urged by many nations, the International Criminal Court has not opened any files against NATO or the US since the invasion of Libya. American voters, specifically the ones that voted for president Obama need to condemn the presidents actions and urge the International Criminal Court to open up cases against the US and NATO for their actions in Libya. The voters of America must stand up to their leaders when they take actions that are unconstitutional. On a global scale, because our leaders are representing us, the people of American, we need to make sure that there is equality and fairness in how our leaders represent us on the world stage.

Mehdi 2 December of 2007, then presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama had an interview with Charlie Savage, in this interview, Obama quoted the War Power Act of 1973 when he stated The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation (Obama) (US Congress). Then again in October 2009, Senator Barack Obama delivered a foreign policy address to DePaul University in Chicago where he criticized Bush for going to war with Iraq and Saddam Hussein, even though neither were considered an imminent threat. In this speech, Sen. Barack Obama urged the congress to grow a backbone and learn to stand up to a their leaders (Obama). In 2007, Senator Barack Obama convinced the voters that our leader at that time, President George Walker Bush, had no right to invade Iraq and that the death of Saddam Hussein was unconstitutional. Furthermore, all throughout his campaign, Obama urged us to stand up to those leaders that take actions that are unconstitutional. A few years after becoming the president, Barack Obama led the NATO efforts to what he claimed was to protect the people of Libya from its leader by entering onto Libyan soil. In doing so, the president ignored the War Power Act (Bendery), the same act that he lobbied for at DePaul and in other interviews a few years earlier that I have already mentioned. President Barack Obama did not ask the congresss permission to deploy US troops and mobilized the US army without the consent of the public or the senate. He did what he had condemned President Bush for: invading a nation without the approval of the congress on top of putting US lives in danger.

Mehdi 3 According to Colonel Roland Levoie, the spokesperson for NATOs Libya mission, the organizations mission was to protect the civilian population, and not to track and target thousands of regime leaders, military commanders and mercenaries. (NATO 11-1). If that was their true belief, then NATO and the US would not have contradicted their own mission in Libya by assassinating Libyas leader. President Obama claimed that it was USs responsibility to help the rebels of Libya in standing up to General Gaddafi, and in February 2011, NATO claimed that Libyan leader General Mummar Gaddafi was violating the human right of the rebel forces and that the organization led by the US had to intervene by any means to stop General Gaddafi (NATO 11-2). Immediately after, NATO forces assisted rebel forces in invaded and destroying the infrastructure of Libya. Although NATO and US claimed that their mission was to ensure the well being of the Libyans and not to target any individuals, after intercepting a call made by General Gaddafi, NATO tracked General Gaddafi and his family members and drone fighters flown by pilots in Las Vegas dropped bombs on Gaddafis vehicle and his residential compounds. This attack authorized by our President led to the deaths of Gaddafi, his son, three grandchildren, and all of his appointed ministers. There were no trials and no judicial ruling. NATO and USs direct target attacks were an act of contradiction as they are against the fundamental reasoning behind the humanitarian intervention in Libya, which was to protect the people and not to target Gaddafi. After receiving criticism from international community that includes Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Council, NATO spokesperson claimed that the

Mehdi 4 organization had no knowledge that Mummar Gaddafi was traveling in the convoy to leave the country, and it had only been attacked as a measure to protect the Libyans (NATO 11-1). Individuals instead of a military asset were targeted and assassinated, and that as well, is against humanitarian intervention. NATO and Obama did not allow for Gaddafi to be brought to justice for the crimes he was accused of. No apprehension and no trial, just the use of brut force. The NATO and the US forces considered the bombs dropped on Gaddafis compound safety measures. These bombs killed the grandchildren and other members of Gaddafis family. NATO and USs reasoning behind the invasion of Libya was that Gaddafi was targeting rebel forces. A very valid case together that claimed that in February 2011, General Mummar Gadaffi ordered his forces to attack rebellion that had started in Benghazi, the eastern region of Libya. In response to these violent attacks towards the rebellion brewing in Benghazi, the United Nations Security Council (UNSCR) adopted Resolution 1970 that led to the mobilisation of armed forces onto Libyan soil and air space. Thus began Operation Odyssey Dawn (NATO 11-2). US led NATO would assist rebel forces by conducting air and naval strikes against Gaddafis forces involved in attacks or threats to Libyan civilians and civilian populated areas (NATO 11-2). In order to fully understand whom the NATO is referring to as civilians and rebel forces that needed assistance, one must look at the complete picture, and not the one presented by news networks. The name of the leader of the rebellion was Abdel Hakim Belhadj (Profile). According to the US and British intelligence, Abdel

Mehdi 5 Hakim Belhadj was affiliated with Al-Qaeda leaders (Legacy Issues). After the September 11 attacks on US, it was alleged by the Gadaffi government that Belhadj had developed close ties with Al-Qaeda and the government issued a warrant for his arrest. Following the US invasion of Afghanistan, and due to the arrest warrant issued by Libya, Belhadj was arrested in Pakistan and handed over to US security officials. Unlike most other known terrorist captured after 9/11, this prisoner was repatriated to Libya (Profile). NATO did not disclose to the international community that the rebel forces had Al-Qaeda ties and that General Mummar Gaddafi had ordered his army to eliminate the group that US claims as a terrorist organization responsible for the attacks of 9/11. NATO and the US used an Al-Qaeda leader to overthrow a leader that was attempting to rid the African country of a terrorist organization. Once the attacks on Libya had began, Cynthia Mckinney, a former congresswoman, took a group of observers to Libya to monitor and report NATOs supposed humanitarian work. In her book, The Illegal War on Libya she discusses how the invasion of Libya was illegal. These scholarly essays and legal analysis point out why Libya was invaded and why not countries with far more political instability and thousands of more deaths due to civil unrest: Bahrain, Yemen, and Egypt. In her short book, Mckinney points out that the citizens of Libya did not bring about the civil unrest, and that this invasion by America was both illegal and unjust. As scholars have speculated it, these rebel forces were externally bred, referring to Belhadj, and were brought in to destabilise the small nation. Mckinney points out that the first thing done by the rebel forces from Ben Ghazi upon entering Libya was seize the Libyan bank.

Mehdi 6 Mckinney points out that not only were these rebels outsiders, but they also had an agenda that was not of peace or liberation of Libya from General Gaddafi. As I mentioned earlier, these unknown rebel forces that Mckinney talks about in her book were led by a man named Abdel Hakim Belhadj, an Al-Qaeda leader captured by the US and then released into Libya.

Libya, before and After the Humanitarian Intervention

In order to fully understand my position on the war in Libya, this African countrys past must be made transparent. In order to understand what was lost, we need to know what was destroyed. Exit the Colonel by Ethan Chorin is a book that gives us full details of Libyas development under General Mummar Gaddafi. In this book, the author mentions that upon gaining control of Libya, General Gaddafi started social programs that developed and benefitted the nations fundamental institutions. Education, healthcare, transportation and the general infrastructure of Libya gained funding through the nationalisation of the nations largest revenue generator, the oil industry. People that had invested into building up local businesses were reaping heavy profits. Gadaffi had also addressed healthcare and education issues that were completely unknown by the Libyan people and within a few years of ruling the country, Gaddafi had brought about economical prosperity of unprecedented levels to his people. (Chorin) Amongst admirers of his revolutionary methods for advancing the African Nation are Nelson Mandela, and Tony Blair. According to Food and Agricultural Organisation of

Mehdi 7 the United States (FOA), up until the invasion, Libya had a very high standard of living. Undernourishment was under 5% and a robust per capita daily caloric intake of 3144 existed amongst the citizens (FAO). The country has made strides in public health and, since 1980; child mortality rates had dropped from 70 per thousand live births to 19 in 2009. Life expectancy had risen from 61 to 74 years of age during the same span of years (FAO). From roads to healthcare, all necessities were being provided free of cost to the nationals of Libya. There are developed countries that are not able to provide free health care to its citizens, yet Gaddafi was able to provide not only that, but also free education that brought Libyas literacy rate to 82% (Chossudovsky) How Libya was shown on news broadcast prior to the invasion was an image far from reality. The post-colonial Libyan government led by Gaddafi played a key role in eliminating poverty and developing the countrys health and educational infrastructure. According to Italian Journalist Yvonne de Vito, Differently from other countries that went through a revolution Libya is considered to be the Switzerland of the African continent and is very rich and schools are free for the people. Hospitals are free for the people. And the conditions for women are much better than in other Arab countries. (Vito). Professor Michel Chossudovsky, an award winning author and an economic professor at the University of Ottawa wrote an economical article in 2011 called Destroying a Countrys Standard of Living: What Libya Had Achieved, What has been Destroyed. In this article, Chossudovsky mentions that Public Healthcare in Libya prior to NATOs intervention was the best in Africa. Health care was available free of cost to each and every citizen. Libya had the highest literacy rate in Africa and most developing

Mehdi 8 countries. The adult literacy rate was 94% for males and 83% for females with 99.9% of youth being literate (Chossudovsky). All this progress that took years was destroyed over false intelligence and through an illegal operation led by the US and a rebellion lead by a terrorist. Mission Liberation was successfully executed and Libya has been destroyed. Other African leaders that include Nelson Mandela admired General Gaddafis vision of unified Africa. Prior to the invasion, Libya had no debts, and instead, it was considered a creditor nation that invested in neighbouring African Nations in order to create an advanced society, something Nelson Mandela admired and praised, so much so that he named his grandson after Gaddafi. Currently, Libya is in a massive debt. All of the nations assets, worth $150 billion have been frozen, with NATO countries holding more than $100 billion (Chossudovsky). The NATO forces have destroyed all Libyan infrastructures that took billions of dollars to develop, and years of effort to implement. A country that was once lending money without charging interest due to its Islamic banking system practices (Chorin), it is now being lent money by the International Monetary Foundation (IMF) to build itself. The money that was taken from the country is being given back to them on a loan basis that will take years to repay, and if not paid back, assets like the nationalised oil would have to be sold to countries like the US, UK, Germany and France. Since the invasion, many voices have been raised in protest. Liberal Democratic Party of Russian leader and Vice-Chairman of the State Duman Vladmir Zhirinovsky called on the Noble Prize Committee to take back the honour bestowed on President Barack Obama in 2009, calling the attacks led by the US another outrageous act of aggression by NATO forces, in particular, the United States. He also claimed that the

Mehdi 9 attacks demonstrated a colonial policy with one goal: to establish control over Libyan Oil and the Libyan Regime. He said the prize was now hypocritical as a result (Lovell). Bolivian President Evo Morales also spoke against NATO attacks. He claimed "How is it possible that a Nobel Peace Prize winner leads a gang to attack and invade? This is not a defence of human rights or self-determination." (Lovell). Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Rafael Correa of Ecuador, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Cristina Fernandez of Argentina have all criticised western media coverage of the Libyan crisis and denounced the actions of NATO and Obama against Libya (Lovell). As it is now clear that NATOs decision to attack Libya was not due to any acts of violence against the civilians of Libya. General Gaddafi was fighting a war against a rebellion led by an Al-Qaeda leader backed by the NATO and the US forces. US drone strike on Gaddafis convey as it was leaving the country was a violation of NATOs fundamental rules that dictate only military assets can be attacked and no individual can be tracked or targeted. Up until Gaddafi started promoting African currency and created the development bank to free Africa from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (Mckinney), NATO and US did not have any problems with his leadership, nor his country. So what happened exactly and what made NATO commit direct war crimes against the people of Libya? If General Gaddafi was not a threat to any country, why was there a need to send US troops into Libya and have him assassinated? Mckinney points out that the first thing done by the rebel forces upon entering Libya was that they seized the Libyan bank. There was clearly an agenda, and it wasnt a humanitarian one. The agenda was to stop General Mummar Gaddafi from establishing his African currency and trading oil with it instead of the US

Mehdi 10 dollar. Gaddafi had called upon the all the African and Muslim countries to share their wealth (gold) instead of US dollars and most nations had accepted. If his plans of creating a single Gold Dinar plans had gone through, it would eventually move the financial influence of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and the US towards African countries (Wile). Soon after this proposal to the developing countries with oil came from Gaddafi, heavy sanctions were levied upon Libya by the NATO and an invasion led by the US followed (Wile). Justice I believe that I have presented sufficient evidence about this issue to persuade the voters of America that Libyan sovereignty was violated by the US led NATO in 2011, and the death of General Mummar Gaddafi was a war crime and an extrajudicial killing, orchestrated by powerful nations that saw his as a threat to their wealth. Now I wish to urge the young voters of America to seek justice for the war crimes in Libya. It is our responsibility as global citizens to speak up and stand up for people and nations that have been denied of their basic human rights, especially by the hands of our own chosen leaders. Young voters of America need to call upon President Barack Obama to confess his crimes to the international criminal court. If he is not willing to do so then a petition should be created that asks for his resignation from office. It is very important that the president of our country follow the rules set by our constitution. Due to his own actions contradicting his speeches, I believe that President Obama, a man that I once supported as well, has lost all credibility as a leader and the Commander in Chief of the US forces, a service that I pay taxes for to keep in commission.

Mehdi 11 The invasion led by our president was not about saving people and definitely not about liberation. It was simply an act to suppress a leader who chose to empower his country, along with other developing countries to rise up from poverty. It was an illegal occupation justified through false information spread through biased media networks. Once president Barack Obama and the NATO forces are prosecuted, neither other presidents, nor organizations will attempt to invade a country without just cause and without the approval of its people.

Work Cited

Bendery, Jennifer. "Kucinich Sues Obama For Violating War Powers Act In Libya." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 June 2011. Web. 28 May 2013. Chossudovsky, Michael, Prof. "Destroying a Countrys Standard of Living: What Libya Had Achieved, What Has Been Destroyed." Nato's War on Libya. Global Research, 20 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 May 2013. "FAO Country Profiles Home." FAO Country Profiles Home. United Nations, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 May 2013. "IIBI." Islamic Banking. Institute of Islamic Banking and Insurance, n.d. Web. 27 May 2013. "Legacy Issues." British Foreign Policy and the "Arab Spring": Second Report of Session 2012-13 : Report. Vol. 2012/3. London: Stationery Office, 2012. 68-70. Print. Lovell, Joseph E. "Nobel Committee Asked to Strip Obama of Peace Prize. Digital Journal, 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 May 2013. McKinney, Cynthia. The Illegal War on Libya. Atlanta, GA: Clarity, 2012. Print. NATO 11-1. Military. Unified Protector - Libya. Speeches and Transcripts. NATO, 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 23 May 2013. NATO 11-2. Military. NATO and Libya. NATO News. NATO, 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 May 2013. Obama, Barack. "Foreign Policy DePaul University, Chicago. 02 October 2007.

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Obama, Barack H., Sen. "Political Candidate Q&A: Barack Obama." Interview by Charlie Savage. www.Boston.com. Boston Globe, 20 Dec. 2007. Web. 24 May 2013. "Profile: Libyan Rebel Commander Abdel Hakim Belhadj." BBC News. BBC, 07 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 May 2013 US Congress. House Foreign Affairs. War Powers Act of 1973. Comp. Clement J. Zablocki. 93rd Cong., 1st, 2nd sess. Cong Res. 1541-1548. Washington DC: US Congress, 1973. Print. "Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)." Libyan Nuclear Weapons. Global Security, 24 June 2011. Web. 20 May 2013. Wile, Anthony. "Editorial." Planned Gold Dinar, Now Under Attack. The Daily Bell, 05 May 2011. Web. 28 May 2013. Vito, Yvonne Di. "Before NATO Intrusion, Libya Was African Switzerland." RT News. Russian Times, 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 May 2013.