.
By Eduardo de la Fuente
One of the most significant shortcomings of most active politicians in Spain is the ignorance of military history. In this country of selective historical memory, military history is limited to the military sector and certain academic cloisters. The new publications are numerous and sell well (in Spain we have a long tradition of eminent historians specialized, many of them military) but to politicians, these books will serve only to fill the shelves of the library of his home. Not otherwise explained the amount of inaccuracies when no real monumental mistakes and absurdities have heard in recent days in relation to military intervention in Libya. Only with great effort is could have done some things worse.
To begin, the United Nations have mess up again, as they usually do, so it should not surprise anyone at this point. Council Resolution 1973 of UN Security is ambiguous, unclear. are two points in the text without any logic, both in the field to clarify the use of force as the objectives pursued. The resolution adopted on March 17 provides an air exclusion zone and taking "all necessary measures to protect civilian and populated areas under threat of attacks" . the euphemism "area no-fly " avoided talking about offensive or military intervention that is really in what we . Moreover, it is unlikely to intervene from the air and thereby ensure the safety of civilians in a panorama de facto civil war. The air domain is vital in the war but in the end the dirty work so finish infants. But here's the second problem resolution, quote: " excludes an occupying force" . seems that the UN wants to banish the specter of Iraq, where a relatively short military campaign followed by civilian chaos of the occupation. War, in this as in all, only ends with the Cavalry Corps ... And, as if politicians read to Rommel or Montgomery would know that the war in the Libyan desert is more like a naval battle than a conventional ground war is inevitable so the use of cavalry, a true mobile force that harasses the enemy and defend the conquered places. The cake is not finished until it goes into the oven.
Another difficulty is the leadership struggle in the so-called Odyssey to Operation Alba. The United States has declined to get involved in operational command and proposed that NATO is assuming the role of leader, question that does not please France that could undermine the specific weight. Nicolas Sarkozy argues that the tread Arabs would welcome the military command awarded to the NATO. Not without reason, though, the Arab League has shown quite incompetent to take the initiative and France is not part of the military structure of NATO since 1966 despite provide 5,000 soldiers and nearly 15 percent of the budget of the multinational organization. France was a founding member of NATO in 1949 but President Charles de Gaulle decided to withdraw the country's integrated military command in the 60's of last century to, in his opinion, maintain the independence of France against the United States. Sarkozy has said on several occasions that France must once again be fully integrated into the military structure of NATO (in fact France has participated in other international activities such as Afghanistan ) although the rivalry does not yet seem settled. In fact, Gallo President has proposed a political committee that includes the countries of NATO and the Arab League to make military decisions for an operation that has already begun ...
Beyond the international political situation in Spain attended to staging, which made more tortuous, which President Rodriguez and l Zapatero and his government get fed up of repeating over and over again that Libya is not Iraq. The punch line media to try to legitimize the war has been undertaken by Zapatero himself who appeared alongside Ban Ki Mon, Secretary General of the UN, in La Moncloa to announce the participation of Spain in the Odyssey Operation Alba. Of course, in the midst of the Executive's own improvisation, the Defence Minister, Carme Chacón , spoke first few hours at the military ceremony to celebrate the centenary of the Air Force in Cuatro Vientos. Thus that before demonstrating on the street against the war in Iraq now are placed in the front row breast removed and placed in the service of France, NATO or the Captain America if necessary . Again, here are several paradoxes that invalidate the alleged morality of government.
First, the PSOE and those who opposed the Iraq war, shouting that it was a "war for oil" have been left with no arguments. The United States has a reserve of 726.6 million barrels of crude that was established after the 1973 energy crisis to ensure the fuel supply if OPEC or any other international actor to jeopardize. Americans consume 20 million barrels a day and import 60 percent of oil, yet America is the third largest oil producer in the world. Libya, meanwhile, is the eighteenth largest producer. If we consider the energy package oil, refined chemicals and natural gas, Spain buys 7.9 percent of Libya's production and has business interests in the country as well as ranked number 89 among oil producers, one asks, and I understand it may be a demagogic argument, who has the real need get into a "war for oil" , Spain and the United States.
Secondly, there is no war clean, modern and aseptic . The dead are stoned to death or bombed and only a matter of time that we see on TV images of innocent Libyan civilians dismembered in a raid ally. We will talk then of collateral damage and hope that, even for decency, someone tore his clothes as he did years ago. To further muddy the matter and continue the pie semantics is that the costs of Operation Alba Odyssey to be debited to the "Participation of the Armed Forces Operations Peacekeeping" del Ministerio de Defensa. Debemos ser el único ejército del mundo que dispara democracia en lugar de balas … Nada, que siguiendo con la jerga franquista podríamos recurrir a aquello de “ha estallado la paz”.
En tercer lugar, y no menos importante, es preocupante la alegría y optimismo que muestra el Gobierno ante una acción bélica . Que las guerras se sabe quién las empieza pero no quién y cómo las acaba lo saben hasta los niños que han visto una película de Rambo . Rodríguez Zapatero ha pedido permiso al Parlamento, aunque ya se había ido con Mambrú por su cuenta la Last week, for a three-month campaign. Hopefully in 90 days, the matter is settled but a server has his doubts.
Two people that I normally do not view sharing have made a difference in the parliamentary session in which Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has won the endorsement to justify the English participation in the Allied offensive on Libya . In the midst of this nonsense of war buenrrollismo one of the few that has maintained a consistent position has been Gaspar Llamazares, the spokesman of the United Left in the Congress of Deputies : "I say no to this intervention, no war. While it has a UN mandate, the argument is not human rights, not democracy in Libya. On the contrary, the interests in Libya. " And yet the risk of sounding cheesy gives the impression that it is the only one who remembers the once famous "No to War." sticker in the flap, as in the times of Iraq, Llamazares has given a lesson in ethics and policy coherence Bardem, cribs and other troops garzonita forgotten. he has had reason to Francisco Jonquera, BNG spokesman, setting the record straight on those issues that hover over Odyssey to the Operation Alba : UN resolution is ambiguous, there is no clear military leadership and not really know what objective pursued.
Should Spain be part of the multinational military action in Libya? Yes, of course. And we should be without euphemisms, half-truths and other distortions of language. We are on the garlic to kill Gaddafi, nothing more, nothing less. Although we certainly do not whine if Qaddafi, as a good dictator chameleon decides that the infidel West has attacked an Islamic country and we sics dogs Al Qaeda. That by talking about the shame that is for the international community allowing him to all for a little guy of his kind for 40 years. With such a history even hard for me to understand why military intervention.
Some links worth checking out:
French Government in English about the French role in NATO (here)
data on the evolution of oil prices on macroeconomic data
according to the yearbook CIA public domain
Canalsú Fantastic humorous vignettes ( here and here) Interesting article
thereon in Natalia Pastor's Blog
PS: Although the war is not laughing matter, I can not resist to show them a video about the excitement of going to war as it appears, with brilliant and ironic laughter in Starship of Troopers Paul Verhoeven, film header in this humble blog. Compare that to our president.
By Eduardo de la Fuente One of the most significant shortcomings of most active politicians in Spain is the ignorance of military history. In this country of selective historical memory, military history is limited to the military sector and certain academic cloisters. The new publications are numerous and sell well (in Spain we have a long tradition of eminent historians specialized, many of them military) but to politicians, these books will serve only to fill the shelves of the library of his home. Not otherwise explained the amount of inaccuracies when no real monumental mistakes and absurdities have heard in recent days in relation to military intervention in Libya. Only with great effort is could have done some things worse.
To begin, the United Nations have mess up again, as they usually do, so it should not surprise anyone at this point. Council Resolution 1973 of UN Security is ambiguous, unclear. are two points in the text without any logic, both in the field to clarify the use of force as the objectives pursued. The resolution adopted on March 17 provides an air exclusion zone and taking "all necessary measures to protect civilian and populated areas under threat of attacks" . the euphemism "area no-fly " avoided talking about offensive or military intervention that is really in what we . Moreover, it is unlikely to intervene from the air and thereby ensure the safety of civilians in a panorama de facto civil war. The air domain is vital in the war but in the end the dirty work so finish infants. But here's the second problem resolution, quote: " excludes an occupying force" . seems that the UN wants to banish the specter of Iraq, where a relatively short military campaign followed by civilian chaos of the occupation. War, in this as in all, only ends with the Cavalry Corps ... And, as if politicians read to Rommel or Montgomery would know that the war in the Libyan desert is more like a naval battle than a conventional ground war is inevitable so the use of cavalry, a true mobile force that harasses the enemy and defend the conquered places. The cake is not finished until it goes into the oven.
Another difficulty is the leadership struggle in the so-called Odyssey to Operation Alba. The United States has declined to get involved in operational command and proposed that NATO is assuming the role of leader, question that does not please France that could undermine the specific weight. Nicolas Sarkozy argues that the tread Arabs would welcome the military command awarded to the NATO. Not without reason, though, the Arab League has shown quite incompetent to take the initiative and France is not part of the military structure of NATO since 1966 despite provide 5,000 soldiers and nearly 15 percent of the budget of the multinational organization. France was a founding member of NATO in 1949 but President Charles de Gaulle decided to withdraw the country's integrated military command in the 60's of last century to, in his opinion, maintain the independence of France against the United States. Sarkozy has said on several occasions that France must once again be fully integrated into the military structure of NATO (in fact France has participated in other international activities such as Afghanistan ) although the rivalry does not yet seem settled. In fact, Gallo President has proposed a political committee that includes the countries of NATO and the Arab League to make military decisions for an operation that has already begun ...
Beyond the international political situation in Spain attended to staging, which made more tortuous, which President Rodriguez and l Zapatero and his government get fed up of repeating over and over again that Libya is not Iraq. The punch line media to try to legitimize the war has been undertaken by Zapatero himself who appeared alongside Ban Ki Mon, Secretary General of the UN, in La Moncloa to announce the participation of Spain in the Odyssey Operation Alba. Of course, in the midst of the Executive's own improvisation, the Defence Minister, Carme Chacón , spoke first few hours at the military ceremony to celebrate the centenary of the Air Force in Cuatro Vientos. Thus that before demonstrating on the street against the war in Iraq now are placed in the front row breast removed and placed in the service of France, NATO or the Captain America if necessary . Again, here are several paradoxes that invalidate the alleged morality of government.
First, the PSOE and those who opposed the Iraq war, shouting that it was a "war for oil" have been left with no arguments. The United States has a reserve of 726.6 million barrels of crude that was established after the 1973 energy crisis to ensure the fuel supply if OPEC or any other international actor to jeopardize. Americans consume 20 million barrels a day and import 60 percent of oil, yet America is the third largest oil producer in the world. Libya, meanwhile, is the eighteenth largest producer. If we consider the energy package oil, refined chemicals and natural gas, Spain buys 7.9 percent of Libya's production and has business interests in the country as well as ranked number 89 among oil producers, one asks, and I understand it may be a demagogic argument, who has the real need get into a "war for oil" , Spain and the United States.
Secondly, there is no war clean, modern and aseptic . The dead are stoned to death or bombed and only a matter of time that we see on TV images of innocent Libyan civilians dismembered in a raid ally. We will talk then of collateral damage and hope that, even for decency, someone tore his clothes as he did years ago. To further muddy the matter and continue the pie semantics is that the costs of Operation Alba Odyssey to be debited to the "Participation of the Armed Forces Operations Peacekeeping" del Ministerio de Defensa. Debemos ser el único ejército del mundo que dispara democracia en lugar de balas … Nada, que siguiendo con la jerga franquista podríamos recurrir a aquello de “ha estallado la paz”.
En tercer lugar, y no menos importante, es preocupante la alegría y optimismo que muestra el Gobierno ante una acción bélica . Que las guerras se sabe quién las empieza pero no quién y cómo las acaba lo saben hasta los niños que han visto una película de Rambo . Rodríguez Zapatero ha pedido permiso al Parlamento, aunque ya se había ido con Mambrú por su cuenta la Last week, for a three-month campaign. Hopefully in 90 days, the matter is settled but a server has his doubts.
Two people that I normally do not view sharing have made a difference in the parliamentary session in which Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has won the endorsement to justify the English participation in the Allied offensive on Libya . In the midst of this nonsense of war buenrrollismo one of the few that has maintained a consistent position has been Gaspar Llamazares, the spokesman of the United Left in the Congress of Deputies : "I say no to this intervention, no war. While it has a UN mandate, the argument is not human rights, not democracy in Libya. On the contrary, the interests in Libya. " And yet the risk of sounding cheesy gives the impression that it is the only one who remembers the once famous "No to War." sticker in the flap, as in the times of Iraq, Llamazares has given a lesson in ethics and policy coherence Bardem, cribs and other troops garzonita forgotten. he has had reason to Francisco Jonquera, BNG spokesman, setting the record straight on those issues that hover over Odyssey to the Operation Alba : UN resolution is ambiguous, there is no clear military leadership and not really know what objective pursued.
Should Spain be part of the multinational military action in Libya? Yes, of course. And we should be without euphemisms, half-truths and other distortions of language. We are on the garlic to kill Gaddafi, nothing more, nothing less. Although we certainly do not whine if Qaddafi, as a good dictator chameleon decides that the infidel West has attacked an Islamic country and we sics dogs Al Qaeda. That by talking about the shame that is for the international community allowing him to all for a little guy of his kind for 40 years. With such a history even hard for me to understand why military intervention.
Some links worth checking out:
French Government in English about the French role in NATO (here)
data on the evolution of oil prices on macroeconomic data
according to the yearbook CIA public domain
Canalsú Fantastic humorous vignettes ( here and here) Interesting article
thereon in Natalia Pastor's Blog
PS: Although the war is not laughing matter, I can not resist to show them a video about the excitement of going to war as it appears, with brilliant and ironic laughter in Starship of Troopers Paul Verhoeven, film header in this humble blog. Compare that to our president.
0 comments:
Post a Comment