Reflections of Fidel

(Taken from CubaDebate)

ON March 2, under the title "NATO’s inevitable War," I wrote:

"As opposed to the situation in Egypt and Tunisia, Libya occupies first place in the Human Development Index within Africa and has the highest life expectancy rate on the continent. Education and health receive special state attention. The cultural level of the population is without a doubt higher. [...] The country requires many foreign workers to implement its ambitious production and social development plans."

"It had an enormous income and hard currency reserves deposited in the banks of rich countries, with which it acquired consumer goods and even sophisticated weapons, supplied by the very countries which now want to invade in the name of human rights.

"The colossal campaign of lies unleashed by the mass media has created much confusion in world public opinion. Some time will pass before what really has happened in Libya is reconstructed, and real events are separated from the falsified ones which have been disseminated."

"The empire and its principal allies employed the most sophisticated media to disseminate falsified information about the events, requiring one to infer traces of the truth.

"Imperialism and NATO – seriously concerned about the revolutionary wave unleashed in the Arab world, which produces a large portion of the oil sustaining the consumer economies of the rich, developed countries – could not miss the opportunity to take advantage of Libya's internal conflict to promote a military intervention."

"Despite the torrent of lies and the confusion created, the United States was unable to drag China or the Russian Federation into the UN Security Council's approval of military intervention in Libya, although it did achieve its current objectives within the Human Rights Council."

"The fact is that Libya is involved in a civil war, as we had foreseen, and there is nothing the United Nations could have done to prevent it, except that its own Secretary General sprinkled a hefty dose of fuel on the fire.

"The problem which these actors perhaps never imagined is that the very leaders of the rebellion have burst upon the complicated scene, declaring that they reject any foreign military intervention."

One of the ringleaders of the rebellion, Abdelhafiz Ghoga, stated February 28 during a meeting with journalists, "What we want is intelligence information, but in no case that our air, land or sea sovereignty is affected."

"The intransigence of opposition leaders over national sovereignty reflected opinions spontaneously expressed by many Libyan citizens to the international press in Benghazi," according to an AFP cable this past Monday.  

"That same day, Abeir Imneina, a professor of political sciences at the University of Benghazi – an opponent of Gaddafi – stated, ‘There is a very strong feeling of nationalism in Libya. Moreover, the Iraqi example scares everyone in the Arab world,’ she stressed, in reference to the 2003 U.S. invasion which was to have brought democracy to that country and then, by contagion, to the region as a whole, a hypothesis totally refuted by the facts. 'We know very well what happened in Iraq, which is in the throes of instability. Following in those footsteps is not appealing at all. We don't want the Americans to come and then to have to regret (the end of the rule of) Gaddafi,’ the expert continued."

"Just a few hours after this cable was published, two of the major U.S. newspapers, The New York Times and The Washington Post, hastened to provide new versions on the subject, as reported by the DPA news agency the following day, March 1, "The Libyan opposition could ask the West to undertake air strikes on the strategic positions of forces loyal to Muammar al Gaddafi, the U.S. press states today."

"The issue is being discussed within the Libyan National Council, according to online editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post."

"In the case of air strikes being executed within the framework of the United Nations, they would not imply international intervention," explained the Council spokesperson, quoted by The New York Times.

"The Washington Post quoted rebels who recognize that, without Western support, battles with forces loyal to Gaddafi could last a long time and cost a large number of human lives."

I immediately asked myself in this Reflection:

"Why the effort to present the rebels as prominent members of society demanding U.S. and NATO air strikes to kill Libyans?"

"Some day the truth will be known, through people like the professor of political sciences at the University of Benghazi, who narrated with such eloquence the terrible experience which killed, destroyed homes and left millions of people in Iraq jobless or forced to emigrate.

"Today, Wednesday, March 2, the EFE news agency presents the known rebel spokesperson making statements that, in my view, simultaneously affirm and contradict those of Monday: ‘Benghazi (Libya) March 2. The Libyan rebel leadership today asked the UN Security Council to launch an air strike ‘on mercenaries’ from the Muammar al-Gaddafi regime.’"

"Which of the many imperialist wars would this one resemble?

"That of Spain in 1936, that of Mussolini against Ethiopia in 1935, that of George W. Bush against Iraq in 2003 or any one of the dozens of wars promoted by the United States against the peoples of the Americas, from the invasion of Mexico in 1846 to that of the Malvinas in 1982?

"Without excluding, of course, the mercenary invasion of Girón, the dirty war and the blockade of our homeland during 50 years, the anniversary of which is next April 16.

"In all of those wars, such as that of Vietnam, which cost millions of lives, justifications and the most cynical measures reigned supreme.

"For those harboring any doubt as to the inevitable military intervention which is to take place in Libya, the AP news agency, which I consider well informed, led with a cable published today affirming, ‘Some NATO countries are drawing up contingency plans modeled on the no-fly zones over the Balkans in the 1990s in case the international community decides to impose an air embargo over Libya, diplomats said.’"

Any honest person capable of objectively observing events can appreciate the danger of the series of cynical and brutal acts which characterize United States policy and explain the shameless isolation of this country in the United Nations debate on the "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba."

In spite of my work, I am closely following the Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games.

Our country is proud of these young people who are examples to the world given their selflessness and spirit of solidarity. I warmly congratulate them; no one can ever deny them the place of honor which they have won.

I will continue Sunday the 30th.

Fidel Castro Ruz
October 28, 2011
7:14 p.m.

Translated by Granma International

NATO’s genocidal role (Part III)

NATO’s genocidal role (Part V)

granma.cu

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