it's the oil, stupid! well, of course it was plus US hegemony, as usual via bombs

.. the pen ...

  .. is mightier ...

    .. than the sword (so they say - proof, please)

Musing, 1: I term myself a seeker of truth and an advocate for justice. I explain this in terms of inner-equilibrium; lies and injustice make me feel bad, so I try to minimise these bad feelings by pointing out the more egregious examples (come in, Sisyphus.)

Musing, 2: There is a tendency to favour 'the underdog,' it 'connects' with (M1) above. In the recent rape of Libya, Gaddafi was definitely at a disadvantage, but I favoured him for other reasons, including a) anyone opposing 'the great Satan' must be far more correct than not, b) Libya had the highest HDI in Africa and c) the Great Man-Made River ... "a network of pipes that supplies water to the Sahara Desert in Libya, from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System fossil aquifer. It is the world's largest irrigation project."

Gaddafi built it for 'his' people; no loans, not neo-liberalised. Yet.

"Today, high oil revenues and a small population give Libya one of the highest GDPs per capita in Africa and have allowed the Libyan state to provide an extensive level of social security, particularly in the fields of housing and education."

Now, change that to "Until the US+NATO bombardment ..."

-=*=-

Apart from the 120 or so cruise missiles, seemingly 'hastily' fired due to Sarkozy jumping the gun, the US took a low-profile (but high-power, 'back-room' directing) part in the 2nd oily "shock'n whore" in eight years (over 5 mths = slow-motion), but the damage - so far not shown to us - is, I expect, roughly comparable. A Gaddafi spokesperson was heard, 'they smashed everything. Everything.' Enough from me, get much more here:

Middle East
Aug 26, 2011
THE ROVING EYE
Sweet crude of mine
By Pepe Escobar
  «Meanwhile, from Benghazi to European capitals, the dancing is to the tune of a Guns 'n Roses megahit, now rebranded Sweet Crude of Mine. France and Germany are already pressing the "NATO rebels" leadership for juicy deals, Italy starts today (Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is meeting Jalil in Milan) and the Brits and the Americans are about to join the fray.» 
[atimes/Escobar]

Comment: Sad. Outrageous. That this tolerated is beyond me; the level of immorality of the US+NATO (F+UK et al.) and the un-protesting world is truly shocking. Words fail me.