Civil conflicts continue in "liberated" Libya, conflicts stemming from the highly touted - and grossly misunderstood - "Arab Spring."
In light of those conflicts, the Navy has stationed the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship with about 1000 marines and several helicopters the off the coast of Libya in case the US embassy has to be evacuated, New Zealand's tv Channel 3 reports.
One ship.
Several helicopters.
Stationed off Tripoli.
Backup resources stationed at NAS Sigonella, Italy.
Consider:
- The number of Americans in Libya, including dependents (if any remain).
- The location of the Americans in Libya.
- Why is there only one (1) LHD stationed off the coast of Tripoli; why not a similar vessel off the coast of Benghazi? Was the consulate in Benghazi closed after the murder of 4 Americans in the consulate compound?
- Have the Americans been told to congregate in specific locations to expedite evacuation?
- How long will it take to get backup resources from NAS Sigonella to various locations in Libya?
We know - sadly - that the Marines guarding the embassy in Tripoli - and any government troops stationed outside the U.S. compound cannot or, in the case of the Libyan "protectors," will not be able to repel an assault on the compound. Benghazi proved that. (Were the Marines at Benghazi even allowed to load live ammunition into their weapons? Are the Marines at Tripoli allowed to load live ammunition into their weapons?)
The administration encouraged the Arab Spring. It wanted to look good to the Muslim Brotherhood and similar organizations.
What the administration in its "wisdom" - mostly provided by the U.S. State Department then headed up by presidential want-to-be Hillary Clinton - failed to understand that most Arab nations are comprised of multiple tribes, many of which don't like other tribes in the region.
Strong dictatorial leaders, such as Muammar al-Qaddafi', Bashar al-Assad, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Saddam Hussein al-Majid, Anwar Sadat, and Mohammed VI of Morocco managed to maintain, if not "peace" than at least a truce among tribes in their countries. Sadat achieved a peace agreement with Israel's Menachem Begin while Mohammed VI's Morocco is one of the few Arab countries that welcomes Israeli tourists (and there are many).
- As an aside, not all of the names on the Parade magazine's The World's 10 Worst Dictators are Arabs. Forbes' The World's 10 Worst Dictators also includes non-Arab personalities. Both lists include one or more dead dictators.
For another look at the Arab Spring, consider reading Re-Examining the Arab Spring.
The U.S. is unique in that it is one of only a handful of countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel are others that come to mind) built on immigration from countries around the world. People immigrated to these countries because they wanted to live in these countries. People of the Arab countries belong to tribes that have lived on the land - without political borders - for centuries. The country borders are a European invention drawn for European convenience and failed to consider tribal territories and loyalties.
As in the former Soviet Union and its satellites, it was a strong - often despotic - hand that kept one group (tribe) from killing another group. (Bosnia, Ukraine come to mind.)
In its zeal to "democratize" the Arab states, to force upon them a U.S.-like democracy, the administration failed to understand the people whose lives it was attempting to restructure.
Because of this political blindness, the USS Bataan sits off the coast of Tripoli to rescue Americans endangered by people who once would not have dreamed of attacking a U.S. outpost.
The administration has opened a Pandora's Box and it too much of a pantywaist to slam down the lid.
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