Stop U.S./U.N. military intervention against Libya!
No new U.S. war! U.S. out of the Middle East!
Hit the streets on March 19 to Resist the War Machine
The following statement was released by the ANSWER Coalition in response to the no-fly zone imposed on Libya. The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a member organization of the ANSWER Coalition, and is mobilizing for the March 19 actions taking place across the country.
 A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle patrols over northern Iraq on Dec. 30, 1998, enforcing the no-fly-zone imposed by the United States and its allies. |
The United Nations Security Council just approved a bombing war
on the people of Libya.
The resolution, authorizing a no-fly zone, was pushed hard by the United States,
along with its French and British imperialist allies. The resolution also
authorizes “all necessary measures” against Libya.
Before the vote, U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton beat the
drums of war: “A no-fly zone requires certain actions taken to protect the
planes and the pilots, including bombing targets like the Libyan defense
systems. … [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi must go.”
Clinton also promoted a racist demonization
campaign against Gaddafi, another way the U.S. justifies its wars of
aggression: “If Gaddafi does not go, he will just make trouble. That is just
his nature. There are some creatures that are like that.”
The media is reporting that bombing could begin soon. The U.S. anti-war
movement must take a clear stand against any military intervention by the United States
or any member state in the U.S.-dominated United Nations.
U.S./U.N. intervention will not bring “democracy” or
“freedom” to the Libyan people. There is no such thing as “humanitarian
intervention” for the U.S.
government. Progressive people must tear the mask off the phony humanitarian slogans being used by the White House, the Secretary of State and the Pentagon about their “deep concern” for the fate of the Libyan people.
Remember, this is the same government that funded and
supported Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak up to the last minute of his brutal
rule.
And now, as they are condemning Gaddafi and the Libyan
government for the use of violence against the revolt inside of Libya, the U.S.
government—through its proxy/puppet monarchy in Saudi Arabia—is arming, financing
and sending troops to Bahrain
to violently suppress the protests that have been happening for weeks.
How dare the U.S.
government even speak of “humanitarian intervention.”
The U.S.
government only takes action to forward its own strategic interests. This means
the interests of Big Oil, Wall Street bankers and massive corporations. Working
people gain nothing through U.S.
wars and interventions.
Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa.
Washington
knows this. It would like nothing more than to have a stable client government
in place that would allow U.S.
bases on the ground and control of the oil supply.
Any U.S./U.N. intervention against Libya will not liberate the people
of Libya
any more than the U.S.
invasion of Iraq
did. In the early 1990s, the United
States, France and Britain imposed
a no-fly zone on Iraq
on supposed humanitarian grounds. Along with U.N. sanctions, which eventually killed
over 1.5 million Iraqis, the no-fly zone crippled the country and allowed
continued bombing up to the “Shock and Awe” invasion in 2003.
Now, eight years later, another 1 million Iraqis have died
and 4 million have been internally displaced, the country is in ruins and is
still occupied by the U.S. military.
When the U.S.
intervenes and occupies countries, history shows that U.S. military
forces never leave the occupied country. The lessons of Afghanistan, Iraq and
countless additional U.S.
interventions reveal this to be all too true. Let this not be the fate of Libya.
On March 19, the eighth anniversary of the criminal invasion
of Iraq,
thousands of people will demonstrate in the streets across the country and the
world against all U.S.
wars, including any planned attack on the people of Libya. This is a critical issue for
the anti-war movement in the United
States.
Mass demonstrations are planned in Washington, D.C., San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and many other cities across the United States
and the world. Click here for a list of protests.
