There are two stories in the NYTimes this morning concerning the Libyan raid and the capture of Qaeda leader, Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai. The first speaks to the knowledge and approval of Libyan PM Ali Zeidan. The second tells of the abduction of the PM in retaliation. The abduction took place in the early morning hours and he was released unharmed in the afternoon. Together the stories give us a sense of the delicate political situation in Libya.
Join me across the break for a discussion.
Yesterday I wrote a related diary that delves into the legality and appropriateness of that raid.
Under US law the administration is on firm ground. Morally the administration is on firm ground. The one question left in doubt is the legality under international law. I think the first story in the NYTimes mentioned above addresses that issue. We don't have an extradition treaty with Libya and the political situation there would make formal extradition difficult if not impossible. There are those in Libya who insist Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai should be tried in Libya. There are problems with that. The crimes were not committed in Libya nor was Libya the victim of those crimes. The political and security environment in Libya would not permit justice to be served. Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai is under indictment in the US and there is an international warrant for his arrest yet he walked the streets of Libya openly and as a free man.
Now I'm going to get personal and try to explain why the charge of warmongering against me causes me much distress.
I am a veteran. I served from 6/63 to 11/73. The Vietnam War is a major element in my life and, like many others, I have struggled to come to terms to the betrayal of being lied into war. I would imagine Iraq veterans are going through a similar process. Over the years I have invested much time and energy trying to understand that history and have arrived at a place of peace. That peace was shattered by those insults and accusations.
I am very disappointed that the dkos community has utterly failed to deal with the behavior of the few people here who are hostile to all things military. Perhaps we should return to the draft rather than a volunteer military least veterans are to become second class citizens if not outright pariahs.
It takes a vet to understand a vet.