Perhaps for the first time, I feel good about Europe/US intervening in some country. The typical arguments I have read against the intervention in Libya are of following types:
1. The fairness argument:
Why not intervene in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Algeria, Morocco?
- You cannot do the right thing everywhere, but that does not mean you should not do it anywhere. It may be too huge an area for military operations. You have to have priorities. Oil in Libya may put it on top of priority list, and also because of the momentum the Libyan movement has gathered.
2. The conspiracy argument:
Egypt may have been revolution by people but it was US & co who incited people in Libya for their oil. They are there only for the oil and nothing else.
- US cannot incite people to capture majority of the country. Libyan rebels had captured in majority of the country. Inciting people to such a scale without knowledge of the rulers is impossible task. *Forty-two* years of tyranny is much more plausible reason for the uprising.
And even if they intervene in Libya for oil, its acceptable. If the oil from Libya stops flowing, the rates of oil will go sky-high and break the spine of world economy. Also, trade can benefit both the parties but if not intervened, Libyans suffer alone in massacre. Gaddafi had already promised that he will hunt people going house to house.
3. The peace argument:
War is never right. Peace is the way.
- Too idealistic. War should be used as the last resort when possibilities for peace are none. No further comments.
4. The leave-them-alone argument:
Rebels requested intervention to stop massacre. Gaddafi warned against it. Who will you listen to? If your neighbor starts shooting his family, will you not complain or will you put earplugs and pretend you don't care? The world is connected, you are not isolated. When something reaches tipping point and starts affecting you directly/indirectly, you have to pay some attention to it.
Of course, my opinion is based on assumptions and subjective. My opinion doesn't count too. (That does not mean I should not give it a voice). Also, it may be possible that reality is entirely different. What is real has always been an interesting question troubling proletariat like us.
