Of Humility and Humiliation: A Tale of Two Nations of Terror
August 5th 2008 22:20
Here’s a case of someone who knows what they talk about, and it doesn’t bode well for the Iranian Government.
Today the Iranian’s were warned against “arrogance” by a man who has been on the other end of Western ire and only barely averted a catastrophic end to his regime, under a far more gun shy President than Bush and in a climate still obsessed with Cold War dominance. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has told the Iranian’s that they risk military humiliation on the same level as Iraq if they continue ignoring Western overtures designed to get them to give up their nuclear development programs.
“In the event of a decision against Iran, this country will suffer the same outcome as Iraq ... Iran is not any stronger than Iraq and won't have the means to resist (a military attack) on its own,” Gaddafi said on a visit to neighbouring Tunisia.
As I say, Gaddafi would know. Libya had a history of being the world’s quintessential state sponsor of terrorism. For a long period Libya was the McDonald’s of world terror: their sponsorship was everywhere and you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing their involvement in some way or another. Libya was accused of supporting rebel movements in North Africa, financing the Munich Olympics terror attacks against the Israeli squad, bombing Pan Am Flight 103 and firing Scud missiles at US military installments amongst other dabbling in the business of terrorism. Libya’s support of terrorism is eerily reminiscent of Iran’s own support for what many refer to as their “token terrorist organisation”, Hezbollah, and they too were at the end of Western sanctions in aid of getting them to stop the development of a nuclear program. That is, until Gaddafi saw what trouble there was in poking a stick at the West and since then his attitude turned around 180 degrees. Gaddafi condemned al-Qaeda and pledged to root them out. He also admitted to a weapons of mass destruction program in Libya, and agreed to allow international weapons inspectors into the country to dismantle them.
So, in many ways, Gaddafi and Libya are the world weary statesman watching Iran repeat their very same mistakes over again. And like an old veteran, Gaddafi sees it as his responsibility to at least be on record as warning Iran against their youthful confidence. It’s surprising how much sense Gaddafi has been making since he gave up being a terrorism kingpin. He is exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to settling down rogue Arab nations. For starters, they see what Libya has gone through in order to get to the place they are today. In many ways, Libya’s is a cautionary tale in what happens when you try to play chicken with Western powers. It may come off as western arrogance to match that of Iran, but Libya is much like a hero of mine: Rocky Balboa. They went punch for punch with the Western world and lost, but they went the full distance and lived to tell the tale. That makes them a great source for advice when it comes to nations thinking about walking the same fine line between hostile nation and nation at war.
Gaddafi has lost a lot by thrusting out his chest and poking a finger at the West. His family has suffered in bombing raids. His nation has been virtually cut off by sanctions. He has been forced to pay financial compensation for his acts of terror. He has been the subject of attempted coups led by his own children. Gaddafi has seen it all, but he got out when the getting was good. If the war on terror came a few years earlier, Gaddafi would have been one of its first casualties. For a man who knows he barely escaped losing what he has left, Gaddafi is understandably circumspect. He has the experience that Ahmadinejad and the Iranian’s lack when it comes to being on the other end of Western fury.
Ahmadinejad had best take note. Libya is still a country suffering for not playing by the rules. He should take a lesson from Gaddafi: humility now only means no humiliation further down the road.
Today the Iranian’s were warned against “arrogance” by a man who has been on the other end of Western ire and only barely averted a catastrophic end to his regime, under a far more gun shy President than Bush and in a climate still obsessed with Cold War dominance. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has told the Iranian’s that they risk military humiliation on the same level as Iraq if they continue ignoring Western overtures designed to get them to give up their nuclear development programs.
“In the event of a decision against Iran, this country will suffer the same outcome as Iraq ... Iran is not any stronger than Iraq and won't have the means to resist (a military attack) on its own,” Gaddafi said on a visit to neighbouring Tunisia.
As I say, Gaddafi would know. Libya had a history of being the world’s quintessential state sponsor of terrorism. For a long period Libya was the McDonald’s of world terror: their sponsorship was everywhere and you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing their involvement in some way or another. Libya was accused of supporting rebel movements in North Africa, financing the Munich Olympics terror attacks against the Israeli squad, bombing Pan Am Flight 103 and firing Scud missiles at US military installments amongst other dabbling in the business of terrorism. Libya’s support of terrorism is eerily reminiscent of Iran’s own support for what many refer to as their “token terrorist organisation”, Hezbollah, and they too were at the end of Western sanctions in aid of getting them to stop the development of a nuclear program. That is, until Gaddafi saw what trouble there was in poking a stick at the West and since then his attitude turned around 180 degrees. Gaddafi condemned al-Qaeda and pledged to root them out. He also admitted to a weapons of mass destruction program in Libya, and agreed to allow international weapons inspectors into the country to dismantle them.
So, in many ways, Gaddafi and Libya are the world weary statesman watching Iran repeat their very same mistakes over again. And like an old veteran, Gaddafi sees it as his responsibility to at least be on record as warning Iran against their youthful confidence. It’s surprising how much sense Gaddafi has been making since he gave up being a terrorism kingpin. He is exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to settling down rogue Arab nations. For starters, they see what Libya has gone through in order to get to the place they are today. In many ways, Libya’s is a cautionary tale in what happens when you try to play chicken with Western powers. It may come off as western arrogance to match that of Iran, but Libya is much like a hero of mine: Rocky Balboa. They went punch for punch with the Western world and lost, but they went the full distance and lived to tell the tale. That makes them a great source for advice when it comes to nations thinking about walking the same fine line between hostile nation and nation at war.
Gaddafi has lost a lot by thrusting out his chest and poking a finger at the West. His family has suffered in bombing raids. His nation has been virtually cut off by sanctions. He has been forced to pay financial compensation for his acts of terror. He has been the subject of attempted coups led by his own children. Gaddafi has seen it all, but he got out when the getting was good. If the war on terror came a few years earlier, Gaddafi would have been one of its first casualties. For a man who knows he barely escaped losing what he has left, Gaddafi is understandably circumspect. He has the experience that Ahmadinejad and the Iranian’s lack when it comes to being on the other end of Western fury.
Ahmadinejad had best take note. Libya is still a country suffering for not playing by the rules. He should take a lesson from Gaddafi: humility now only means no humiliation further down the road.
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