The United Nations has warned of an impending humanitarian disaster in Libya as tens of thousands flee the bloody attempts of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to repress the popular uprising against his despotic rule. The international community has condemned the use of deadly force and other excesses being committed against civilians by troops loyal to the Libyan strongman, including foreign mercenaries, it is reported.
On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to impose immediate sanctions on Col Gaddafi’s government, family members and inner circle, because of “the gross and systematic violations of human rights” in Libya, and decided to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court. Yesterday, the chief prosecutor of the ICC said that Mr Gaddafi, his sons and senior aides would be investigated for alleged crimes against humanity.
On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) agreed by consensus to suspend Libya from the UN Human Rights Council. The fact that Libya was a member of the council in the first place raises serious doubts about the integrity of that body, but that is a matter for another time.
International efforts to bring an end to the crisis appear to be finely poised between isolating the dictator and concern that the situation on the ground might deteriorate further, plunging the country into total anarchy and destabilising the region. The European Union, particularly Italy, is also worried about a massive influx of refugees.
But even as all diplomatic and legal options are being considered by the international community to bring pressure to bear on Col Gaddafi, with a view to halting the bloodshed and, hopefully, finding a peaceful solution, the dictator continues to breathe barmy defiance. He might even be considered a comic opera buffoon were the situation in Libya not so desperate. And he is not yet completely isolated, as a handful of countries, including Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, seek to blame the “imperialist” West and run interference on his behalf.
During the debate in the UNGA on Tuesday, the Venezuelan delegation sought to block the resolution suspending Libya from the UN Human Rights Council, with Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Valero arguing, “An imperialist country is unilaterally and visibly deploying its military and nuclear machinery in order to carry out an armed attack against Libya… Venezuela calls for the rejection of war-mongering mobilization of the US Air Force and Navy.” However, not all Venezuela shares this particular conspiracy theory.
In response to the support of the Venezuelan government for Col Gaddafi, the Venezuelan opposition Table for Democratic Unity has issued a strong statement critical of the “Chávez-Gaddafi connivance,” repudiating the atrocities being committed by Col Gaddafi’s forces and condemning the “irresponsible declarations” of President Hugo Chávez’s government. In addition, Democratic Unity has said that the defence of Col Gaddafi and his regime mounted by President Chávez and his mouthpieces is “shameful and unacceptable and does not represent the sentiments of the Venezuelan people.”
To their credit, the other members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), Bolivia, Ecuador and Caricom countries, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines have not followed suit. And Caricom, following its meeting of heads last weekend, has issued a carefully-worded statement expressing “grave concern” at “the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa” and “deep regret at the loss of life during the peaceful demonstrations.” Caricom has also condemned “the use of violence against people who are protesting peacefully” and has called for “an immediate end to the violence and… a resolution of the situation through dialogue and actions which would allow the free exercise of the fundamental human rights by the people of that Region.”
In an ideal world, there would be universal condemnation in the strongest possible language of dictators like Col Gaddafi and an absolute intolerance of human rights abuses such as those that have been perpetrated against the Libyan people in his name. But the world has never been a perfect place and realpolitik being what it is, murderous megalomaniacs like Col Gaddafi have been tolerated and even encouraged over the years. Because of political or economic interests, the double standards of international diplomacy tend to be the order of the day. No country can really claim to have completely clean hands in this respect, but sometimes one just wishes that a higher morality would prevail and that there would not be space for tyrants to impose their brutal will on their people and share their odious ways with the rest of us.
