Why no thread on the French military intervention in Mali?

[DinoDoc]

Oh, and feel free to speculate on how stable the region would be if NATO hadn't intervened in Libya.

More dead Libyans no one gave a **** about in the first place and a stronger government in Tripoli.

[Dauphin]

**** man the US produces more oil per day than Libya. The fabulous fruits of the western invasion then: Algeria attack may have link to Libya camps They sure did keep those rag heads from destabilizing other places in Africa from Libya.

Libya has more (possibly twice as much) in reserves, making it politically more important in the future if we remain an oil dependent world.

[MichaeltheGreat]

More dead Libyans no one gave a **** about in the first place and a stronger government in Tripoli.

Which one? Not Qaddafis.

[DinoDoc]

Which one? Not Qaddafis.

Who cares?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Guess your truck is up on blocks, then? Ever heard of a thing called the "global economy?" It might not affect the price of possum stew, but oil affects most of the rest of the economy.

[DinoDoc]

Guess your truck is up on blocks, then? Ever heard of a thing called the "global economy?" It might not affect the price of possum stew, but oil affects most of the rest of the economy.

Can I see any evidence of a dead Qaddafi discount not immediately absorbed by the unstable Libyan government premium?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Not yet. That is, of course, irrelevant to the notion of "who cares?" what government is in place in an OPEC member next to Egypt, among other places.

[DinoDoc]

Not yet. That is, of course, irrelevant to the notion of "who cares?" what government is in place in an OPEC member next to Egypt, among other places.

Egypt has it's own militant problem already. Some they support, some they fight. So other than allowing the Egyptians to send them to Libya, what was accomplished from your point of view wrt stablizing the region?

[MichaeltheGreat]

It's an ongoing process, and an ongoing national security interest. According to you, we don't care and have no interest whatsoever. Isolationism worked real well in the '30s.

[DinoDoc]

It's an ongoing process, and an ongoing national security interest.

I see a pattern here. Asking you for evidence to back up your claims is too hard for your aged mental facalties to cope with, I'm sorry for asking too much of you.

Isolationism worked real well in the '30s.

The Domino Theory worked out so well for the US in SE Asia.

[PLATO]

Isn't Libya a product of Italian nation building? If I recall correctly, there are three major tribal regions inside Libya and they have never gotten along. I think the best we could hope for there is a strong central government that is friendly to the west...not a politically stable country??

[DinoDoc]

Is DD really arguing that a significant oil producing nation (29th in the world in barrels per day & part of OPEC) doesn't matter to US interests? Seriously, my jaw is on the floor.

I'm saying that there was no signifigant US security interest in Qaddafi living or dieing.

[PLATO]

I'm saying that there was no signifigant US security interest in Qaddafi living or dieing.

I am saying that is entirely dependent on what type of entity follows him. Given the history of Libya, I believe that there is a high potential for future internal conflict that could cause infrastructure to be lost and a destabilization of overall oil supply.

I am not quite sure how you would see that not making a difference to US security concerns. I can think of several different possibilities just off the top of my head.

[DinoDoc]

I am saying that is entirely dependent on what type of entity follows him. Given the history of Libya, I believe that there is a high potential for future internal conflict that could cause infrastructure to be lost and a destabilization of overall oil supply.

Given that the US lacks the stomach to influence the outcome to its advantage, (be that a secular democracy or a strongman government) the choice here is letting the rebellion be crushed or shoving ourselves into the conflict to create a weak government without the ability to control its own territory or meet its international obligations.

[MichaeltheGreat]

And they've had what, 15 or 20 years now to get it together? Our strategic interests are a little longer term than that.