This is one of the best detailed accounts of the lead up to the U.S. operation going on in Libya and as you can see by the title of the blogpost and the article from Family Security Matters, it appears that this operation has Hillary Clinton's fingerprints all over it while Barack Hussein Obama appears to have been an insignificant bystander in all of it.
From the article:
“As you may know, French planes are already in the skies above Benghazi. Now, America has unique capabilities and we will bring them to bear to help our European and Canadian allies and Arab partners stop further violence against civilians, including through the effective implementation of a no-fly zone. As President Obama said, the United States will not deploy ground troops, but there should be no mistaking our commitment to this effort.”
-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
On Saturday, March 19, 2011, Hillary Clinton shuttled to Paris to meet with European allies and Arab partners to discuss the enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Secretary Clinton was blunt:
“Colonel Gaddafi continues to defy the world. His attacks on civilians go on. Today, we have been monitoring the troubling reports of fighting around and within Benghazi itself. As President Obama also said, we have every reason to fear that, left unchecked, Gaddafi will commit unspeakable atrocities.”
Noting that Arab partners “changed the landscape” of diplomacy, Clinton recognized that the Gulf partners of the coalition were “critical to the international community’s efforts on Libya.”
Broadening the horizon of the moment to include ongoing constructive discussions on the Bahrain agitations, Secretary Clinton leveled a warning to Iran, another state facing a sanctions regime wrought from the UN Security Council. Clinton said “The United States has an abiding commitment to Gulf security and a top priority is working together with our partners on our shared concerns about Iranian behavior in the region.”
A couple of things to keep in mind here - first off, there have been numerous reports that Hillary Clinton has been shouldering an inordinate burden of responsibility during this time of chaos across the world while President Obama golfs and vacations ...which leads to the second point where Secretary of State Clinton has announced that she will not seek a second term as Secretary of State.
The fact of the matter is that Hillary Clinton HAD to know she would end up in this position - if anyone knew of the incompetence of Obama in the area of national security and foreign policy it was Clinton - hell, she was the one that ran the "it' 3 a.m., who do you want answering the phone call?" advertisements during the Democratic primaries. At the same time, it's my guess that Hillary Clinton knew full well just how lazy Barack Hussein Obama is - the man avoids any heavy lifting like the plague.
So, it's my estimation that an exhausted and overtaxed Hillary Clinton finally broke down under pressure from those leaders in France and Britain regarding the Libya operation - she finally caved in and committed America to a military operation which has no set of objectives.
Probably the only real question remaining is whether Clinton will make it to the end of her CURRENT term.
Hillary's War: Operation Odyssey Dawn
“As you may know, French planes are already in the skies above Benghazi. Now, America has unique capabilities and we will bring them to bear to help our European and Canadian allies and Arab partners stop further violence against civilians, including through the effective implementation of a no-fly zone. As President Obama said, the United States will not deploy ground troops, but there should be no mistaking our commitment to this effort.”
-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
On Saturday, March 19, 2011, Hillary Clinton shuttled to Paris to meet with European allies and Arab partners to discuss the enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Just before noon in Libya, the head of the National Libyan Council, Abdul Jalil was monitoring the situation in Benghazi as Gaddafi forces surged through the Garyounis University complex into the heart of the rebel stronghold. He said:
“Now there is a bombardment by artillery and rockets on all districts of Benghazi. The international community is late in intervening to save civilians from Gaddafi’s forces. Today in Benghazi there will be a catastrophe if the international community does not implement the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council. We appeal to the international community, to all of the free world, to stop this tyranny from exterminating civilians.”
With new reports of sniper fire and shelling in Misrata and Zintan and with the mounting evidence of an hours-long battle for Benghazi, the enforcers of UNSCR 1973 held summit in Paris. The cease-fire announced by Moussa Koussa was a dramatic moment. However, the mass murder in Libya continued, unabated. The deceit of the Koussa declaration aided and abetted the crimes of Muammar Gaddafi.
Gaddafi’s correspondence with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister Cameron and French President Sarkozy called UNSCR 1973 “void” and declared that the enemy of his regime was al Qaeda, claiming “We can never fire a single bullet on our own people…”
Gaddafi’s letter to President Obama challenged the legitimacy of the opposition forces. Painting the rebels of Libya as armed al Qaeda terrorists, Gaddafi asked “our son” Obama “What would you do, so I can follow your example.”
The option of force was brought to the table. On March 17th, Resolution 1973 was passed. The international community, including the Arab League, demanded a cease-fire in Libya on humanitarian grounds. Gaddafi’s aggressions would guarantee military consequences. As Obama stated clearly on Friday afternoon, “…these terms are not negotiable. These terms are not subject to negotiation.”
President Sarkozy of France made a statement following the Paris Summit on Saturday:
“Together, we have decided to ensure the resolution of the Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire and the stopping of fighting in Libya. The participants have agreed to apply all means necessary, in particular military ones, to respect the decisions of the UN Security Council.”
Less than two hours later, missiles from a French Rafale jet fighter would strike a Gaddafi military vehicle outside the city of Benghazi.
British Prime Minister David Cameron remarked,
“Colonel Gaddafi has made this happen. He has lied to the international community. He has promised a cease-fire. He has broken a cease-fire. He continues to brutalize his own people.”
In reference to Britain’s obligations to the UN, Cameron continued
“And so the time for action has come. It needs to be urgent. We have to enforce the will of the United Nations and we cannot allow the slaughter of civilians to continue.”
Secretary Clinton was blunt:
“Colonel Gaddafi continues to defy the world. His attacks on civilians go on. Today, we have been monitoring the troubling reports of fighting around and within Benghazi itself. As President Obama also said, we have every reason to fear that, left unchecked, Gaddafi will commit unspeakable atrocities.”
Noting that Arab partners “changed the landscape” of diplomacy, Clinton recognized that the Gulf partners of the coalition were “critical to the international community’s efforts on Libya.”
Broadening the horizon of the moment to include ongoing constructive discussions on the Bahrain agitations, Secretary Clinton leveled a warning to Iran, another state facing a sanctions regime wrought from the UN Security Council. Clinton said “The United States has an abiding commitment to Gulf security and a top priority is working together with our partners on our shared concerns about Iranian behavior in the region.”
With a focused aim of protecting civilians, a documented broken cease-fire, and a Chapter VII treaty requirement to enforce Resolution 1973, Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched on Saturday March 19, 2011, circa 9pm local time in Libya. Within 24 hours over 120 tomahawk missiles would be fired at 20 air defense targets of the Gaddafi regime, chiefly by American destroyers some 200 miles off the coast of Libya.
On Sunday, March 20th, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen would announce that a no-fly zone over Libya was in effect. The command and control of the Gaddafi forces was officially degraded, the aging Russian-made air defense capabilities of the regime were largely obliterated.
Muammar Gaddafi survived the initial barrage and claimed that a “long war” was in store, breaking open weapons depots and claiming to arm a million civilians.
Admiral Mullen conceded the United States might achieve its stated goals to support the enforcement of Resolution 1973’s humanitarian aims without forcing Gaddafi from power.
Respecting UNSCR 1973, Operation Odyssey Dawn’s aims are “limited” to protecting civilian life and establishing a no-fly zone over northern Libya.
Operation Odyssey Dawn
Operation Odyssey Dawn was launched at 8pm Libya time. Five U.S. ships took part in the attack on Gaddafi’s air defenses, including two destroyers, the USS Stout and USS Barry, and three submarines, USS Providence, USS Scranton and USS Florida. After an hour flight time, the first of 112 initial cruise missile launches rocked Tripoli. A British sub fired two Tomahawks as well, bringing the total to 114 strikes at the leading edge of what U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney, Director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, described as the first phase of a multiphase operation. At dawn on Sunday, assessments of the effectiveness of the strikes began with the help of Global Hawk reconnaissance, 10 more strikes would complete the task of opening the space necessary for a no-fly zone. The moderate threat of Gaddafi’s SA5 anti-aircraft batteries was no more.
With 11 naval vessels and 28 aircraft in the Mediterranean, the U.S. opened the way for French and British jets to conduct limited strikes after the initial Tomahawk strikes.
U.S. Air Force officials noted that three B-2 bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. Hit a “variety of strategic targets” in Libya. F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16CJ Fighting Falcons also launched missiles and dropped bombs. The Navy reports that Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers hit ground forces and air defenses while F/A-18G Growlers provided electronic warfare measures in support.
Denmark, Spain, Canada and Qatar are donating aircraft to the coalition cause, though their missions or usage are not yet certain as the coalition of the willing grows to near 20 countries.
Coordinating America’s naval presence in the Mediterranean under Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, operating aboard the USS Mount Whitney, the flagship of the Navy’s 6th Fleet. The American Forces Press Service relays that the Mount Whitney joined “…24 other ships from Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom and France in launching the operation.”
According to the U.S. Navy, “All U.S. aircraft are being managed by Navy Tactical Air Control Center 21.”
The Coalition command and control is being led by U.S. Army General Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command out of his base in Stuttgart, Germany.
Interestingly, Germany was one of five countries that abstained from signing on to military action through UNSCR 1973 yet they play host to the coalition command.
In Germany’s abstention circumstances are the keys to understanding Hillary’s War.
UNSCR 1970 Sanctions Regime
The unanimous sponsorship of UNSCR 1970 witnessed a world speaking with a single voice.
In Resolution 1970, the assets and movements of Libya’s core leadership were sanctioned. In addition, an arms embargo was placed into effect.
Companies from over 50 nations were involved with oil and gas production through Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC).
The language of the sanctions regime imposed in Resolution 1970 was not aimed at oil companies. It was aimed at those who could finance Gaddafi’s exile or strengthen his ability to remain a fugitive from the reach of the International Criminal Court.
The language of the document led the European Union to sanction the assets of one individual, Mustafa Zarti, due his special relationship with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. Mustafa Zarti was a Board member or executive head of three organizations: the Libya Investment Authority, the National Oil Corporation, and Tamoil.
The Libya Investment Authority was essentially the pension fund of the Libyan people.
The National Oil Corporation is the financial backbone of the Libyan state and Tamoil was the commercial outlet for NOC in North Africa and throughout Europe.
Germany was tied up with the National Oil Corporation through its utilities company RWE, which was set to break through to a profitable oil industry in Libya by 2014. Germany plays host to two major oil refineries of Tamoil.
Mustafa Zarti resigned his post from the LIA and stepped down from his other positions before the UNSCR 1970 was put forward.
Following the sanctions round, Muammar Gaddafi threatened to throw all Western oil companies out of Libya on March 2nd. It was in the following days that Mustafa Zarti was targeted for sanctions, picked up by Austria authorities and questioned.
Interestingly this reality came to a head on March 19th, when NOC Chairman Shukri Ghanem said that Libya’s National Oil Corporation would honor its contracts with foreign firms operating in the country. The statement was made two days after Germany abstained from UNSCR 1973.
U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton has been shuttling around in a frenzy of diplomatic activity since the dawn of 2011. Clinton has been attempting to chart positive pathways forward on foreign relations in the Greater Middle East in light of the massive changes taking place behind the Iron Curtain of Islamic supremacy.
The Sanctions regime of UNSCR 1970, due to Muammar Gaddafi’s wild decision to threaten Western oil interests, turned a 15 to 0 vote in February into a 10 to 0 vote with 5 abstentions in March.
This battle, combined with the determined advances of Gaddafi to knock out the rebel stronghold in Benghazi brought Hillary Clinton, William Burns and Susan Rice to a pivotal moment in world history.
The Clinton-led G8 meetings on March 15th failed to endorse a no-fly zone.
It appeared as though the opposition forces, whose exiled leaders had already been legitimized by President Sarkozy, were about to be slaughtered. The vote for a no-fly zone had been debated, but not its scope.
As March 16th gave way to the possibility of Russia and China vetoing any measure to intervene in Libyan affairs, American leaders were beside themselves with the perceived lack of leadership from the White House.
Undersecretary William Burns caught heat from both sides of the isle in a Senate Foreign Relations free for all the following day. Marco Rubio showed concern as Burns assured him that a successful vote on a no-fly zone was possible.
The fact that Russia and China did not exercise their veto power on UNSCR 1973 came as a surprise to the American political community.
Hillary Clinton had won the diplomatic chase to save Benghazi’s legitimate leadership, by salvaging the contracts of Russia’s Gazprom and China’s CNPC.
With Susan Rice lambasting Muammar Gaddafi as “delusional” and William Burns lobbying the American cause behind the scenes, Hillary Clinton rose to the challenge and cornered Russia and China.
Operation Odyssey Dawn is Hillary’s War.
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