(Watch out, Military Industrial Complex, there’s a new Sheriff in town.)
Congressman Dennis Kucinich has sponsored legislation that will end US military involvement in Libya on the grounds that it is illegal, unwinnable, and far too expensive. Congressman Kucinich makes some excellent points:
This war is misguided. An invasion would be a disaster. Nato already is out of control, using a UN mandate allowing for protection of civilians as the flimsy pretext for an unauthorised mission of regime change through massive violence. In a just world, the Nato commander would be held responsible for any violations of international law.
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The US Congress must act to cut off funds for the war because there is no military solution in Libya. Serious negotiations for a political solution must begin to end the violence and create an environment for peace negotiations to fulfil the legitimate, democratic aspirations of the people. A political solution will become viable when the opposition understands that regime change is the privilege of the Libyan people, not of Nato.
Starting an armed conflict? That’s the easy part. Stopping the armed conflict? That seems to be much harder. All of these US-led wars – Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen – were begun with such ease, only to drag on in perpetuity.
But that’s all by design. The longer the wars drag on, the more profits can be made by a handful of people.
Modern warfare is predominantly manufactured. The rationales that we’re given – like freedom, terrorism or saving civilians – are used to distract us from the real reasons for war: securing US corporate interests on foreign soil and channeling billions of taxpayer dollars into those juicy defense contracts.
Fortunately this fact – that most war in the world today is unnaturally forced upon us – is coming to light. The more aware we become, the better equipped we will be to dismantle the military industrial complex. Earths major wars will soon come to an end as humankind stands up to the entities that create and perpetuate institutionalized violence.