Libya announces end to all weapons programs

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by GePap


What stick? Anyone here seriously think the US and UK would have the capacity, within the next year, to do an "iraq" agaisnt Lybia?

And why offer carrots if Lybia is so obviously in the wrong? I thought the Bu****es don't negotiate with terrorists?

1. Q: What stick - A: obviously Khaddafi is smart enough to negotiate now, rather than wait till US forces are available and he loses leverage - in general if your long term position is one in decline, its best to negotiate early (that is, as a matter of fact, one of the arguments made by moderate doves in Israel against the Sharon approach)

2. Q: Bush dont negotiate with terrorists - A:He was treating Qaddafi not as a terrorist, but as a leader of a state with WMD - which we WILL negotiate with, and are doing so now in N Korea. Now wrt to Nkor theres some dispute about how much of a carrot its appropriate to give them, but i think all are agreed SOME carrot is appropriate. WRT to Qaddafis support for terrorists, he turned over the agents behind lockerbie, and has distanced himself from terrorism for some years. Its certainly possible for states to take actions that remove themselves from the supporters of terrorism list


3. Why Libya and not Syria? Well Gepap is correct that previous Libyan actions had SOMETHING to do with this, its also arguable that Syria is far less vulnerable to US the US stick than Libya is, for reasons of geography and demographics, and internal politics. In any case, its too early to state that Libya is the last fruit of the Iraq intervention. IN fact Baby Assad has been making noises about reopening negotiations with Israel, so in fact Syria may be thinking along lines of rapprochement as well.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by The Emperor Fabulous
Quaddafi's son is now saying it has nothing to do with Iraq.

I hate that my discussion was the second to last on the other page...


Just a thought...how many different ways has this man's name been spelled in this thread?

Agreement with Qaddafi on hanukah
" with Khaddafi on Chanukah
" with Khadafi on Chanukahh

etc etc

[Cookie Monster]

So how much money did we give him to admit his WMD program?

[CerberusIV]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3338713.stm

Gaddafi has been looking to get out of sanctions for over a decade. He is the winner here as he has progressively detached the EU, UK and UN from supporting sanctions against his country. It has simply reached the point where the US administration has little choice but to go along and hail this as a triumph of diplomacy - mostly Tony Blair's diplomacy but there may be a little reflected glory in it for GWB.

Then again the US oil companies want a piece of the pie before their competitors grab it all. There was an article on the BBC a few months ago which commented that options on Libyan oil areas held by US companies were due to expire around now. We all know who pulls GWB's strings and they must have wanted a result quickly.

[TheStinger]

Originally posted by Cookie Monster
So how much money did we give him to admit his WMD program?

$17.33

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by CerberusIV

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3338713.stm

yeah, the Beeb has managed to find a commentator who will claim that Iraq had nothing to do with it. Nice spin, Auntie

I dont believe that the timing was a coincidence. Telegraph (yeah, them ) reported in April that Qaddafi told the Italians he didnt want to be overthrown like Saddam.

[CerberusIV]

I am not saying the invasion of Iraq didn't concentrate Gaddafi's mind but anyone who thinks this all just happened because of that is ignoring what has been going on for a long time, even if it didn't make the US media.

[Sava]

Did I miss something? Since when did Momar khadafi (or however his ****ing name is spelled) become a saint?

OOOOOH HE SAYS HE'S DISARMING!!! LET'S BRING HIM INTO NATO!

Just another brutal dictator the US will now support.

[Az]

Originally posted by TheStinger


$17.33

don't forget the Burger King coupons.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by CerberusIV
I am not saying the invasion of Iraq didn't concentrate Gaddafi's mind but anyone who thinks this all just happened because of that is ignoring what has been going on for a long time, even if it didn't make the US media.

the US media has been reporting the long negotiations ABOUT reparations for the Lockerbie, theyve just made it clear that the negotiations over WMD began in March of this year. Even the WaPo and NYT, IIUC.

[lord of the mark]

Hans Blix (via CNN)


'Blix said he "can only speculate but I would imagine that Gadhafi could have been scared by what he saw happen in Iraq," which the United States invaded in part because of its contention that Saddam Hussein regime was harboring weapons of mass destruction.

"While the Americans would have a difficulty in doing the same in Iran and in North Korea as they have done in Iraq, Libya would be more exposed so maybe he will have reasons to be worried." '

[PLATO]

Originally posted by Sava
Did I miss something? Since when did Momar khadafi (or however his ****ing name is spelled) become a saint?

OOOOOH HE SAYS HE'S DISARMING!!! LET'S BRING HIM INTO NATO!

Just another brutal dictator the US will now support.

I doubt that he will get support, but there will be carrots for him to continue down this new path.

[Sava]

we should just drop a smart bomb on him and save the trouble...

[lord of the mark]

The editors of the New York Times, via Tacitus:

'To an extent that cannot be precisely measured, the fate of Saddam Hussein, who was ousted from power by the American military with British backing after endless prevaricating about Iraqi weapons programs, must have been an important consideration in Libya's decision.'

[gopher]

Ah, our old friend Quadaffi.
Can this be, the man who could'nt invade Chad even with minor CBW usage, the man who ordered all Libyan maps to replace Britan (though not Wales or Scotland) with a new branch of the North Sea as punishment, the man who managed to piss off the US, Europe, and the ME all at the same time, this man has actually made a good strategic decision?!
Well stomp on frogs and shove a crowbar up my nose.