The thugs in the streets of Tripoli and Sirte are jubilating over the murder of Muammar Gadhafi. As it is clear that he was not killed, he was murdered. What else does one call the killing of a wounded prisoner other than murder? If a soldier of the U.S. military establishment (or of any other regular military force in a civilized nation) killed a defenseless prisoner, he would face court-martial and the death penalty. Nevertheless, the Kalashnikov-firing scum bags of the rebel movement in Libya and most politicians, T.V. commentators, and pundits in the U.S. and Europe, and elsewhere in the so-called free world expressed their delight over the killing of the Libyan leader. Human life seems easily dispensable as long as it does not fit our way of thinking or the expediency of our political goals. In a world of indifferent equality, not even being a political leader makes any difference anymore.
The friendly handshakes between the Libyan leader and the sitting American president and incumbent European heads-of-state had already been forgotten when NATO and U.S. forces began to support a dubious group of insurgents by launching an air campaign against the Libyan military and Gadhafi installations some six months ago.
This egregious violation of the sovereignty principle in international relations (for more on this see https://www.edwinseditorial.com/2011/03/us-and-european-foreign-policy-blunder.html), along with the betrayal of Muammar Gadhafi's trust in his fellow political leaders and "his friend" Obama, demonstrated the dubious condition of western and U.S. foreign politics. Forgotten was Gadhafi's atonement over the Lockerbie bombing, his payment of reparations to the victims' families, the damage of American cruise missiles as a justified answer to his misdeeds, his retreat from pursuing nuclear weapons, and his attempts to integrate his political regime more appropriately into the community of nations.
Giving premature and frivolous support to self-proclaimed revolutionary freedom movements by political and public encouragement, as happened in Egypt, is troublesome. To sustain these alleged "democratic" uprisings by way of violent armed support, as was the situation in Libya, clearly manifests the waging of unjust wars on the part of the western world and its supreme power.
Education reform and teacher excellence are on everybody's mind. Nonetheless, even the political establishment lacks the educational foundation in political theory, moral philosophy, and cultural affairs. Instead of encouraging evolutionary developments toward more open and just societies, they support dubious revolutionary movements and foster their ethically questionable goals and morally problematic ways. Instead of considering the ethnic, religious, and cultural peculiarities of potential mission areas, they naively assume that the values and principles of western politics and lifestyle will be welcomed and accepted. Instead of using international power projection and the instrument of warfare wisely, military means are used and wasted light-heartedly, for dubious objectives, often in unsavory ways.
While politicians are still trying to convince their electorates of the reputable incentives behind their decisions, the recent political idiocies in foreign affairs (Afghanistan, Egypt, and Libya) have created a political pattern that appears to be most precarious and apprehensive.
Only the return of thinkers and holistic analysts into the ranks of the political advisory bodies can provide remedial measures in the short term. A swift turnaround is needed to bring American and European foreign policy to its senses and prevent further damage to global affairs by way of more political foolishness committed by the West.
