War on War

Now, the politicos and the press aren't calling what we just started in Libya a 'war'. At least not yet.

And it's not a solo effort. It seems we found a couple of allies this time around, both eager to go at it. And we have the 'backing' of 'Arab nations'.

And I do believe He-Who's-Name-Is-Spelled-A-Thousand-Ways is a despot, a tyrant, a dictator, and as many other synonyms for autocratic madman as you can muster. He's also a self-proclaimed sponsor of terror, and a complete nutcase.

But I am stumped at what 'international law' (as claimed by Mrs. Clinton), Mr. Ghaddafi has violated (in the current situation). He's broken a million moral and ethical beliefs, but what law has he violated? Is what he is attempting genocide? What's the test for that?

At what point does a dictator's suppression of internal rebellion become something other countries have to stop? Why do we go and get him now, but not before when he blew up our people over Lockerbee? Why not back when we tried to assassinate him? Why this time and this moment?

I guess the answer is written somewhere in that 'international law', and our strategists must have puzzled through the labyrinthine wording to come to their conclusion.

Or maybe they are just stepping in to keep the oil flowing?

To the Libyans in the middle of all this, the reasons ultimately won't matter. In the end we will either have given them 'freedom', or we will have killed many of them with kindness, much like we have the Iraqis, Afghans, and Pakistanis. They will either end up saying 'Thanks (now please leave)", or "Thanks for nothing (and wait till we come and get you)".

To us (if not our allies), this will come as no surprise. It'll be business as usual. But I fear the broader implications.

I fear we may have entered an ironic phase in the War on Things game. In years past we have declared War on things broad, nebulous, and multi-faceted, like Poverty, Cancer, and Terror. Now we may have declared War on 'War'. What the heck - they fight fire with fire, right? And what did Ghandi know anyway - his act was so 1940's.

I'm not going to lose any sleep worrying over it, what happens happens. And it will be interesting to see who or what replaces the Old Crazy Bedouin. I just wish whoever is really running this world would put a consistent act together.