Works Cited

Admin. Why do you Libyans want Gaddafi gone? Here are some reasons. 21, Feb 2011 <http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/02/why-do-you-libyans-want-gaddafi-gone-here-are-some-reasons

Al-Jazeera. islamweb. 20 3 2011. 13 4 2011 <http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=165917>.

Chossudovsky, Michel. Global research TV. 19 3 2011. 13 4 2011 http://tv.globalresearch.ca/2011/03/foreign-intervention-libya-creation-4th-war-theater.

Ditz, Jason. Libyan Opposition Spurns Calls for Foreign. 12, Apr 2011.  <http://news.antiwar.com/2011/02/27/libyan-opposition-spurns-calls-for-foreign-help/

Doyle McManus. Guelph Mercury. 7 3 2011. 12 4 2011 http://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion/columns/article/496575--u-s-can-t-afford-another-war.

Golbret, Ben. Training Libyan rebels to fight Gaddafi.  12, April 2011. <http://www.pri.org/world/training-libyan-rebels-to-fight-gaddafi3311.html
Hanstke, Carl. Gas prices on the rise due Libya unrest. 24, Feb 2011

<http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/188378--gas-prices-on-the-rise-due-libya-unrest

Khan, Chris. MSN. 22 2 2011. 13 4 2011 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41714735/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/>.

Mcleod, Scott. Why Gaddafi's Now a Good Guy .16, May 2006.  <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1194766,00.html

RTsociety. RT questions. 13 4 2011. 13 4 2011 <http://rt.com/news/intervention-libya-military-nato/>.

Shreck, Adam. Libyan rebels urge stronger US military role.  13, Apr 2011.  <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2014761405_aplibyadiplomacy.html

WERNER, ERICA. Yahoo news. 26 2 2011. 13 4 2011 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110226/ap_on_re_us/us_us_libya.

Xinhua. 29,000 Chinese nationals pulled out of Libya. 28, Feb 2011.  <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-02/28/content_12090820.html

 

Jack Wilson, newspaper reporter

A couple of weeks ago fuel prices started raising up, is what happening in Libya is the reason? I’m Jack Wilson a British reporter and a writer in the daily sun news paper. Today, in the US a barrel of oil costs around 95$, oil has not been that high in the last 4 years, but since that the country is in an unstable stats, oil companies are suspended from producing any oil in Libya, and some companies already started evacuating workers (Khan), a quick action to the issue will help the a lot of countries, and  will bring the price down, there is only one action that can be done to fix this, which is fixing the situation in Libya, and that means AL-Qaddafi stepping down from the throne. An intervention had been already made when France bombed Al-Qaddafi’s forces, so what are their intentions ? are they helping the Libyan civilians ? or do they got something else in mind? If the NATO have continued with intervention, what are they going to do after they take off Al-Qaddafi, they can’t just go to war on a country take their leader off and leave, that will lead to a big mess in Libya, also, If they stayed there, how long are they going to stay?, will they be in peace with civilians or not? A lot of unanswered questions, but according to the history of war, war never ends in peace, a big live example what happen in Iraq and Afghanistan. In my personal opinion I think Libyan shouldn’t ask for help from other countries, because it may lead to worse issue. You can make war from peace, but not peace from war.

Shammam, a civilian

My story begins in the capital of Libya, which is Tripoli.  The capital city is located near the Mediterranean Sea in Northwestern Libya.  My name is Shammam, I am currently 17 years old and have lived in Libya for my whole lifetime.  My parents have grown up their whole life with Muammar el-Qaddafi as the leader of the country their whole life.  So when the rebels and foreign military’s have got involved they have stuck loyal to the Qaddafi regime.  Every night at dinner, they have the radio on listening to the news updates, with what is going on.  Since Gaddafi has control on the broadcast airways, we only hear what he wants us too.  I believe he has brainwashed them into believing his way is the only way.  This is why it is hard for me to go against them.  A part of me wants to continue the uprising and fight for the rebels, but I know how much my parents would look down on me and probably disown me.  But seeing some of my friends learning how to shoot and fight for the rebels, I want to follow their lead.  Every time I see them they are constantly urging me to change my mind and fight with them.  They say how much better our lives will be once they defeat the Gaddafi regime and him.  But on the other hand not only do I not want to let my parents down; I hear all the good things that Gaddafi has done for our country over the years.  They say “Gaddafi has kept peace in the country for years, built the military up, and negotiated with Superpower countries to but oil from the country.” (Mcleod) I wonder what he has done for me over the last few years.  I have seen killings of innocent people and promises that haven’t gone through.  I just hope over the next few months I didn’t make the wrong decision in believing my parents and not going with gut feeling.

Faith, stay at home mom

In Libya, not only is the conflict a concern, but with the countries abundance of oil refineries and wells, the fighting raises another concern, gas prices.  My name is Faith and am a stay at home mom.  Currently in Canada the price per Liter is $1.20.  So per gallon it is roughly $5 dollars in the United States of America.(Hanstke)  I being a mom of three in Toronto, Canada, this conflict has really taken a toll on our family.  My husband has a decent paying job and we have just enough money a month to pay the bills and have a little extra money to do something with our kids.  Since their father works 60 hours a week I am stuck taking the kids everywhere they need to go.  Each of our sons have been playing hockey since they were little.  Sidney who is 10 now plays Center, Pierre is 8 and plays defensemen, and our youngest Craig, is 4 and just learned how to skate.  Every night I am taking the kids to practice, while my husband is at work.  We have two cars which helps, get the kids where they need to be.  However with the rise in gas prices we have had to spend our left over money on gas.  While I want the rebels to have the civil rights they are fighting for, I am scared that we might not be able to afford our kids to play hockey if gas prices keep rising.  I am glued to the television every night looking what the price of a barrel of oil costs and to see when this fighting will stop.  Never did I imagine that a little country in the Northern tip of Africa would have as big of an impact on my family.  I would be devastated if my sons would not be able to continue to play the sport that they love.

Robert Morrison, vice president

As being the vice president in the United States many people look to me just as being a puppet of the president.  They just see me tag along with him on visits around the country as well as the globe.  Many of times I will hear people say who is this guy named Robert Morrison?  I do not take it offensive but, I wonder if they know that if the president would unfortunately die, then under constitutional law I would serve out his remaining term.  However when I am not traveling with him, I have other duties that I have to perform in order to keep my position.  My job description, as said in the constitution, is to be the head of congress.  If a deciding vote needs to be placed then it is my job to cast the final and deciding vote.  But over time my job criteria has changed.  In recent years since the president cannot attend every foreign obligation, many of times it is my job to make speeches and meet with leaders of other countries.  In saying that, with the recent uprisings in the Middle East and focusing mostly on the Conflict in Libya, I am fearful not to make the wrong decision.  With the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, the previous administration caught a lot of grief over spreading democracy, without the consent of the people in the country.  Americans are viewed by many as, a country that wants to get their hands involved in everything.  So with this new conflict, I do not want the current administration to be viewed the same as the previous.(Ditz)  However the Rebels of Libya have urged countries like the United States and other European powers to be more involved in the war.  They are calling for more airstrikes as well as missile attacks.  While we want these rebels to overthrow a dictator style of government, I do not want to get our troops involved in another long and drawn out fight. (Shreck) The American people do not want to see another ten year conflict that has a lot of work to be done.

Chang, working in Libya for 4 years.

Since the rebels have begun the fight my life has changed in so many different ways.  Living in the rebel strong hold of Benghazi, the violence has made me fearful of my life.  My name is Chang and I have been working in Libya for around 4 years now.    I am working for the country of China that has citizens in Libya working with the United Nations.  My mission is to bring peace efforts and collaborate with the government of Libya.  Before the fighting began I felt pretty safe in the country but now I can get hit with a missile of gunfire at anytime.  In saying that the perspective of the fighting confuses me and don’t know what side is right.  Since I am not a citizen of the country, I see where both sides are coming from.  The rebels who have lived under what seems like oppression to them has took a tool on them.  They want to be able to have more civil rights and want a change in leadership.   From me working with the United Nations I have had the privilege of working with Qaddafi and he to me comes off as a good person who has the ability to talk well with other people.  The citizens have believed in him for almost 50 years but now their opinions have changed.  They want to see more of the financial status that the government is making of their oil wealth.  Now that the fighting has gotten worse over the last couple of weeks, my boss in China has called for my colleagues and I to be removed from the country.( Xinhua) I was happy with the time I spent in Libya and hope that in the future I can go back to the country that is at peace again.

John Cooper, executive of Shell

I’m John Cooper, an executive of the Shell company, I’m glad that the NATO made the decision for an international intervention in the Libya civil war. Libya, although a small country, is one of the largest petroleum exportants in Africa. Its economy greatly depends on oil sector. Vice versa, the global economic also easily influenced by the gas supply. Shell has several investment in Libya for their oil industry. When al-Qadhafi attacked the rebels troop in the early March 2011, they not only killed innocents, many infrastructures had been destroyed in the bombing and firing. For instance, an eastern oil town in Zawiya was destroyed in the firing of al-Qadhafi forces. Other than that, an air attack on the rebels also threatening the safety of Ras Lanuf, a coastal city’s oil refinery sector. As a result, the civil war in Libya is a heart attack to the Shell company. We worries about when will they destroy our investment every day. Therefore, I wish the international intervention will stop the war as soon as possible without leaving any damage to the oil sector, and then we can resume the working in the industry.If the war continues, the whole region will be destabilize. That will result in destroyed oil field, and will subsequently lead to another possible worldly economic crisis.  

Hassan Jamal, a Libyan civilian

Hi my name is Hassan Jamal, I’m Libyan civilian, I work as a math teacher in an elementary school  in Benghazi, a couple days ago I witnessed a US military jet fighter crashing near to my house, but  thank god that it landed in a big open field. The war didn’t star yet and airplane’s are crashing on our heads, who knows, the war might start tomorrow and will see hundred’s of those Jets and helicopters are hovering above us, and who knows they might be shooting at us at the same time.  As you know Libya is one of the biggest oil producer and cheapest, an oil barrel becomes so cheap in some field as cheap as 1$ per barrel, Libya oil reserves are one of the biggest in Africa and it’s the ninth over the world, some countries from the western society might be targeting the oil reserves that Libya has, Russia has notified that NATO that this might be the case, and some members of NATO are agreeing with Russia. And as you know since Barack Obama promised the American society to fix the mistakes that was done by the former president George W. Bush, one of his promises were to pull out the army from Iraq, if he actually pulled the army from Iraq and then sent it to Libya he’s making the same mistake that had been made before and which might lead the country to a really weak economy, specially that the NATO don’t know what kind of air defense does Libya has, so they don’t what actually they are facing. I don’t agree with a western intervention, because it might harm us more than it could help us.

Amy Wilson, officer of NATO

My name is Amy Wilson, and I’m an officer of the NATO ,many members of the NATO were furious on the cruelty of al-Qadhafi. It is ridiculous that he does not care about human life but his own power. Therefore, I will definitely say yes for the NATO to intervene in this war. I will say the same like Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of the United States, nothing is off the table as long as the Libyan Government continues to threaten and kills Libyans. The dictatorship of al-Qadhafi has definitely raised the concerns of the United Nations on the humanitarian in Libya. After all, the aim of forming the United Nation Security Council was to maintain international peace and security. Amy Wilson recalled that rebels from Libya who found that they are losing their war with Al-Qadhafi and others abroad Libyan had seek for an international helping hand to rescue them from an upcoming humanitarian crisis on March 9, 2011. The rebel leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil pleaded for help from the nation again on March 14, 2011. Consequently, it is time for the NATO to answer their call, to react, and to protect the people. President Obama quoted that the aim of building an international community will seemed hollow if we ignore the helps from innocent Libyan. British Prime Minister, David Cameron, also said that “If Colonel Qadhafi uses military force against his own people, the world cannot stand by.” Brookings Institute’s “Libya’s Test of the New International Order” analyzed that civil war in Libya has also become a war for world government. It is a test for the international community. If the NATO failed, the goals of establishing international order and importance of international law will seem meaningless.

Muhammad Khalifah, undergraduate student

Hi I’m Muhammad Khalifah, a Libyan who currently pursuing his Master in Human Rights in West Virginia University, I express my gratefulness that The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) finally decided to intervene the civil war by announcing military forces and imposing a no-fly zone over Libya.A no-fly zone is the best way to prevent al-Qadhafi from killing more innocent Libyan. Al-Qadhafi has launched war in Tripoli and Benghali on March 18, 2011, when these innocent villagers marching out from the mosque after praying. Many had died, that is a terrific day. I prayed to god to protect my family every night since the war began. I know exactly how Colonel al-Qadhafi will do until he regain his power. Still, my father had injured. He is now laying the hospital in a critic situation. There is no way he can recover when Colonel al-Qadhafi blocked the supply of water, electric, and gas to these places.

Other than that, I also conveyed my desire for a change of regime in his country. After experiencing the anti-democratic in Libya and freedom of democracy in the United States, I will appreciate the opportunity for having democratic system in my own country. I am looking forward for the change once al-Qadhafi no longer in power. As I am studying the Master of Human Rights, I am thirst for the knowledge of it. There is so much that I absorb every day. If the rebels leader, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, won in the civil war, I will be more than happy to return to my country with my knowledge to help him to built a new country with air of freedom and democracy.

Ali Aujali, former Libyan ambassador

Hi I’m Ali Aujali, a former Libyan ambassador, I worked with Al-Qadhafi for more than five years. This is not a sudden broke of civil war, the people of Libya has been living under suppression for too long. Al-Qadhafi has always been worldly known as a dictator. When the rebels finally took action to protest his iron rules on February 2011, loyalties of al-Qadhafi counterattacked the rebels by artilleries, tanks, and even air craft. They bombed unarmed villages and also fired on peaceful protesters. Thousands of innocent civilians were killed and injured. Other than that, Al-Qadhafi also cut off the supplies of water, electric, and gas to the rebels ground, forcing them to surrender. He even openly clarified that he is ready and willing to bloodbath Libya until his status is unquestioned and the rebels surrendered. Therefore, I urged for the must to ouster al-Qadhafi. There is no negotiation and Qadhafi must leave the country, for there is no way for a change with him still around. The rebels in Libya are seeking for an international intervention to stop al-Qadhafi from progressing further into destroying innocent villages and important petrol sources. They do not expect United Nation to send army to help them fighting on ground. They wish for NATO’s help in logistical support and military training.

The situation in Libya

Libya is a small country in the northern part of Africa. Its official name is known as Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, where Tripoli is its capital, situated in the north western of Libya.  Since Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi became the chief of Libya state in September 1, 1969, he based his power in Tripoli. He ruled Libya with a unique form of “direct democracy”, a system that combined of socialism and Islamic believes. Al-Qadhafi earliest internationally impression was a revolutionary figure with great ambition, where he wanted to form a United States of Africa.

With the escalating situation in the Middle East, Libya is witnessing a revolt against their ruler Muammar Qaddafi, and because of that a civil war began between the government and the people, Muammar Qaddafi decided to bring mercenaries from various countries of Africa to fight under his commands. Other countries felt that the matter began to turn into a massacre of the Libyan people and they don’t like what is going over, some countries might have some benefits if an intervention happens to stop Qaddafi’s power. So should other countries do something about it or not? Is it going to help the Libyan people? Or is it going to put Libya in some dark years like what happen in Iraq?  Recently the United Nations has voted on establishing a no fly zone over the country and peacekeeping forces have been sent to the country.  The French Military as well as the United States have also fired missiles on targets of the country.  Many people are criticizing these countries decisions to get involved with the attack and the rebels even voice that they just want to fight and win.  On the other hand some experts believe that if these rebels do win the fight for leadership, they might be a form of terrorism.

Michaela Brandt, a poltical scientist

Hi my name is Michaela Brandt I have a B.S. degree in political science from George Washington University at Washington, DC. After studying and researching the situation in the U.S., I think that the United states of America can’t afford a third war on another Arab country(Doyle). On Saturday Feb 26. 2011  Barack Obama said that Col. Muammar Al-Qaddafi should step down from his presidency, because Qaddafi has lost his legitimacy to command and rule Libya. A couple of days later attacks from the American army were made by firing missiles from ships sitting in the Mediterranean Sea, now this is counts as a step forward to war. The U.S. has just came from a the Iraqi, in fact they just started pulling out the army from Iraq, the country was effected in different ways form the war, first the U.S. is bankrupt, second we can’t keep losing young Americans in wars that we shouldn’t be there in the first place. Barack Obama says the he wants Qaddafi to step down, but Qaddafi will not just give up his country that he ruled and helped for more than forty years, so it will require a force to make Qaddafi leave the country, the exact same happen when George W. bush was the president of the U.S., and he decided to go to Iraq and take Saddam Hussain from Iraq. After Saddam Hussain was hanged, the US military didn’t leave Iraq, In fact more Iraqis kept dying. From the first day war in Iraq till now around 100,000 people were killed and murdered, around 5,000 of them were American soldiers, we don’t want to see that in Libya, Libyan people don’t want to see that happen to them. An intervention should not be made from any western country, I think that if an Arab decide to make an intervention in Libya it would help more because they would care more about the people and less about the oil.

Ahmed Aljabber, a Libyan civilian

Hi I’m Ahmed Aljabber a resigned secretary who used to work in the ministry of defense, and  a Libyan civilian who revolt against Col. Qaddafi .I think that if other countries decided to make an intervention to stop Qaddafi’s army, it could the beginning of a war on Libya, which might stop Qaddafi, but it also gonna effect Libyan people and hundreds of thousands are going to die, and the Libyan people don’t want that to happen, because if it does it’s just another crisis beside Qaddafi’s, maybe an Arab country intervention might help more than a western country, specially that Libya is an important source of oil, and that might lead to scenario similar to Iraqi scenario. A couple of weeks ago a meeting held place in Europe to decide whether an action is going to be taken against Qaddafi’s forces or not, a couple of hours after the meeting France started sending air crafts to air strike to hit loyal forces for Muammar Qaddafi. When other countries start sending air crafts to air strike a country's leader forces; even if the people are revolting against him; that is the beginning of a war and Libyan people will be massacre from both sides; the government(Qaddafi) and countries who may intervene  . I ask myself why do  all these western countries pretend trying to help us( the Libyan people), but they never said anything about what happened in the Kingdom of Bahrain, or is it actually they want something else than helping the people, especially since  Libya is one of the biggest oil producers in this modern day world (Chossudovsky).