Here the comparison between Libya and Iraq is clear. Both countries suffered for years under a brutal and monstrous dictator. And now both have been subjected to no-fly zones sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council. What did we learn from the Iraq no-fly zone experience? That while it possibly made some politicians feel good the repression and brutality continued for many more years deadlier and with more intensity.
But more ominously is the fact that this kind of limited engagement ultimately evolves into a massive military intervention on the ground aimed at overthrowing the government and enacting regime change. When this happens the political by-products are internal civil war and military opposition to the invaders. The sad thing is that for all the good intentions and effusive words by political leaders about the need to protect civilians the term "collateral damage" comes to mind.
In Iraq's case President Bush's wrong-headed and criminal war resulted in over 1.5 million Iraqi civilian deaths, millions are presently poor refugees in foreign land, millions more have been internally displaced, nearly 4 million children today suffer from malnutrition, daily suicide bombs, a crippled health infrastructure, a flight of Iraq's most brilliant and educated sons and daughters, and an installed puppet government whose fits and starts and clownish actions resembles a Victorian waltz between dogs and cats.
But western powers never learn. So let's just bomb the heck out of them and make it up as we go along. Ah, when fools rush in"
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