Vietnam and Iraq have populations much larger than Libya. The fact is that Iraq's government fell within days. Vietnamese style guerilla war, totally unsuitable for Libya, gave the people the ability to hold out. Why have contempt toward the people who differ with you?
No. Cole set up a straw man. Most people no matter what they felt about the conflict did not expect the government to last this long. No government will last indefinitely against an opposition, however feckless,with uncontested air power.
I hope Juan Cole is right about the outcome but it is tendentious to speak sarcasticly of the president of Italy for supporting Ghaddafi but to leave unquestioned the implied good intentions of Cameron and Sarkozy. Evem more so to leave unremarked that the primary supporters of the rebels in the area are feudal monarchies and their catspaw surrogates in the emirates.
© 2025 All Rights Reserved
Vietnam and Iraq have populations much larger than Libya. The fact is that Iraq's government fell within days. Vietnamese style guerilla war, totally unsuitable for Libya, gave the people the ability to hold out. Why have contempt toward the people who differ with you?
No. Cole set up a straw man. Most people no matter what they felt about the conflict did not expect the government to last this long. No government will last indefinitely against an opposition, however feckless,with uncontested air power.
I hope Juan Cole is right about the outcome but it is tendentious to speak sarcasticly of the president of Italy for supporting Ghaddafi but to leave unquestioned the implied good intentions of Cameron and Sarkozy. Evem more so to leave unremarked that the primary supporters of the rebels in the area are feudal monarchies and their catspaw surrogates in the emirates.
No one commenting here is Libyan including Juan Cole.
Should we all shut up?