Civil Candor

political cynicism for turbulent times

Copyright © 2023 CivilCandor.com

Home » National Security and Foreign Affairs » Kerry, McCain, Lieberman Support Nation-Building. Lugar Gets it Right.

Kerry, McCain, Lieberman Support Nation-Building. Lugar Gets it Right.

Last update December 6, 20151 Comment

The White House calls it a “limited” action, claiming “We Have Already Saved Lives.”1 Many of us are calling it a bad idea that we should have been asked about. It is much too early to know whether the U.S. is being scammed by honoring the Arab world’s request for military aid in Libya, but influential senators have seized the moment by suggesting the U.S. up the ante and toss more of the Middle East into the mix.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry compared our actions to tearing down the Berlin Wall:

How we respond today, right now, will shape our strategic position in the Middle East – and how Muslims around the world see us – for decades to come.

Twenty-two years ago, the Berlin Wall fell. Central and Eastern Europe were freed from the oppression of Soviet rule and the constant subjugation of the police state. 2

Past experience tells us that bombing Libya will not cause radical Muslims to look upon the U.S. with fawning eyes. Western military invasions are the sort of things that arouse Arab wrath, and U.S. nation-building that starts with cruise missile strikes sets a precedent that will be judged harshly when the smoke clears and the bodies are tallied.

Kerry drew Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman into the discussion as part of a surprising alliance with an even more surprising goal:

Senator Kerry also discussed legislation he is developing with Senators McCain and Lieberman that will support the transition to democratic rule in Egypt and Tunisia, encourage movement toward democratic reform in the Middle East, and spur sustainable economic development throughout the region.3

We can credit Kerry with honesty lacking in our president and supporters of the Libyan mission who stress the humanitarian motives behind bombing an Arab nation. Kerry is frank about his political agenda, and however ill-advised his intentions or incorrect his interpretation of events, he at least lets us know what he believes:

Now, because the people of the Middle East have spoken, we have an opportunity to help shift the course of regional history toward greater reform for them and greater security for us.4

McCain and Lieberman were equally frank in endorsing the ouster of Libya’s dictator:

Qaddafi must go, and that requires the United States not just to develop and review possible options, but to take meaningful actions that urgently answer the growing calls of the Libyan people for help before it is too late.5

In contrast to this show of misplaced idealism, Indiana Senator Dick Lugar showed himself to be a realist by proposing that we call a war by its name, and that the Arab League pony up for the cost of the action:

If the Obama Administration is contemplating this step, however, it should begin by seeking a declaration of war against Libya that would allow for a full Congressional debate on the issue.  In addition, it should ask Arab League governments and other governments advocating for a no-fly zone to pledge resources necessary to pay for such an operation.6

Kudos to Mr. Lugar for figuring out why the Arab League must pay for what they claim they want. When the mission is over and the fingers start pointing, at least the U.S. will have an Arab signature on a check to fall back on.

Sources

 

Filed Under: National Security and Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Libya

Comments

  1. Frederick says

    March 25, 2011 at 11:19 am

    We need not only a check from the Arab nations, but we should have access to what ever oil supply we need and make it pay the bill for freeing Iraq from their monstrous dictator. It is very clear that the Hamas, al Qeada and Muslim Brotherhood are behind the current revalutions claiming they want democratic reform when in reality it is promoting the takeover of these countries for muslim rule, which is not in our best interest (they want to destroy us).

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Apotheosis of Washington. Architect of the Capitol.

Apotheosis of Washington
Architect of the Capitol

BROWSE

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More

In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by using the link Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Accept Decline Cookie Settings
I consent to the use of following cookies:
Cookie Declaration About Cookies
Necessary (1) Marketing (0) Analytics (1) Preferences (0) Unclassified (1)
Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
NameDomainPurposeExpiryType
wpl_user_preference civilcandor.com WP GDPR Cookie Consent Preferences 1 year HTTP
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Analytics cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
NameDomainPurposeExpiryType
_ga civilcandor.com Google Universal Analytics long-time unique user tracking identifier. 2 years HTTP
Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.
We do not use cookies of this type.
Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies.
NameDomainPurposeExpiryType
_ga_R6V41C7WZK civilcandor.com --- 2 years ---
Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.
Cookie Settings

Do you really wish to opt-out?