O/T I bet the people of Zimbabwe wished they were an oil producing nation.

[fatbadger]

Being an oil-producing nation hasn't helped the people of Bahrain though, has it? It's not about oil - it's (always) strategic.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Hasn't the crisis leading to the "no-fly zone" and thus air strikes been based on the fact that Gaddafi was using his main military against opponents, possibly even aircraft and heavy artillery? Whereas Mugabe uses his ZPF thugs to call round opponent's houses and beat the crap out of them? Neither is ok, but I think the international community might find it disproportionate and slightly un-necessary to use Tornadoes and Cruise Missiles on 3 hard blokes in a BMW...

 

[Dandyman]

hes hardly just become a tyrant. blowing up planes over Britain, supplying the IRA with weapons, inadvertantly caused the death of a British policewoman on a London street, none of which recent events. I dunno about you but he has always been a total cnt in my eyes. its not a recent demonisation in the west by a long chalk.

Politicians meeting odious people is part and parcel of it. that gadaffi had to buy weapons off them is just a fact of life.

as for 'if zimbabwe had oil' line. Libya doesnt have that much. what sickens me about our attitudes zimbabwe is the fact that british people in zimbabwe were left for f***ing dead as it was not PC or a bit embarassing to intervene on their behalf, as much as anything. if we had gone in then we could have helped stop it going completely down the shitter for everyone there too. our selling zimbabwe out happened long before mugabe took over.

Yeah, it happened in 1965 when an one eye racist **** committed treason.

 

[seagulls4ever]

Being an oil-producing nation hasn't helped the people of Bahrain though, has it? It's not about oil - it's (always) strategic.

Bahrian has close ties with the US.

 

[Icy Gull]

?

Most African nations are notoriously corrupt or factionist and very few " democracies" in Africa are truly transparent. Also they tend to stand together against outside interference from the West, this would have led to very confused and muddled ideals when dealing with dodgy African nations. In short, it's best to keep out of African affairs no matter how tragic and awful the civil wars and tribal ethnic cleansing.

Finally, Zimbabwe's geographical postion does not lend itself to easy access to " peacekeeping " forces. The US and Britain and most EU countries have no logistical bases in the area at all and I'm sure that the countries surrounding Zimbabwe would not willingly allow land forces through their territories lest they themselves were to be highlighted over the abuses to their own people.

Nail on head, unfortunately. American/European military involvement in a black African country is not gonna happen. History has tarred us too much as well, no african nation would support it.

 

[keaton]

Hasn't Cameron just back from a trip to sell arms to other tyrants? And isn't he essentially supporting Saudi Arabia's invasion of Bahrain?

 

[Questions]

We`ll always stand up for freedom, democrazy and the rights of the peoples of these downtroddden, despot ruled peoples.




as long as they are relatively weak militarily or aren`t black.

 

[vegster]

If only the good people of Zimbabwe were major Cocoa exporters they would have had the same support from the French as Alassane Ouattara's people are getting. When the Chocolate starts to run low the French act !

The corrupt and illegal regime of Laurent Gbagbo is worth a Dime, it seems !

 

[somerset]

The Libyan scenario has been made slightly different by the prospect of a full scale massacre if Gadaffi reclaims Benghazi. Many of the world powers are still smarting after theirv own failures to do anything about Screbrenica & Darfur.

Eh?!?!?.......... ok,.. for a start there were thousands of Un and Nato troops in Bosnia at the time,..... the Dutch Marines responsible for the town of Screbrenica at the time were led by a CO who has since had his arse well and truly kicked out,.... he refused to intervene citing that his men would become target if they did,....... individual mistake,... not institutional policy.

.... and Darfur,... there are tens of thousands of Un troops there,.... its a fookin big region,... cannot stop every atrocity.