Meanwhile, next door to the west...
And why the Western nations are not clamping down on this moron, I do not know.
From
Reuters:
Libya prisoner release stokes fears of tribal strife
Gutted and looted, the vandalism of some Libyan prisons and the release of inmates has sparked unrest and fear in parts of the country that have risen up against Muammar Gaddafi's rule.
Officials in Libya's rebel-held east told Reuters government forces set prisoners free when anti-Gaddafi protests took hold two weeks ago, a move certain to cause strife in a tribal society where revenge is a right.
"I'm not happy about this. There were murderers in there. The government forces opened the doors, and gathered outside were people who wanted the prisoners' blood," said Saeed Jumah, 28, as he looted a Benghazi prison.
Prisoner identification papers blew around the prison in Libya's second city of Benghazi, and rows of cells were charred black after fires. Chains in the execution chamber swung in the breeze, the trap door below the gallows open.
Libyans say the prisoners were released by government forces deliberately to undermine anti-Gaddafi protests, a move they say is similar to that used in recent anti-government protests in Egypt, when for a period of time police melted away and criminal gangs were allowed to roam free.
Reuters could only independently verify that one prison in Benghazi's Kweifieh district had been abandoned, but a revolutionary council administering regions not under Gaddafi control said other prisons in the region were also defunct. "Government forces opened most Libyan prisons allowing the criminals out in order to create chaos," said Najla al-Mangoush, a spokeswoman for the rebel revolution coalition.
With no organized police force or judicial system in the east, justice and law and order are currently in the hands of the public.
If you are strong, they respect that and will yield to the strongest person. This is an ingrained part of the Arab culture.
Look back to President Bush. He was sworn in on January 2001.
Three years later,
January 6th, 2004:
Libya seeks peace with Israel
Here is the original article which says:The head of the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic team, Ron Prosor, met in Paris some two weeks ago with Libyan diplomats, in order to establish a channel of communications with Tripoli. The meeting was coordinated with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Mossad chief Meir Dagan.
A high-ranking Israeli delegation is expected to visit Libya with the aim of reaching a mutual understanding on the signing of a peace agreement, Kuwaiti newspaper A-Siyasa, quoted on the Al Bawaba website, reported Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in comments published Tuesday, Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was quoted as saying he is ready to compensate Libyan Jews whose properties were confiscated. He also said he is prepared to allow Libyans to travel to Israel, according to Arab press reports.
And a few days later on
January 24th, 2004:
Libya Nuclear Components Said Headed for U.S.
Hat tip to Little Green Footballs for this link to a Yahoo/Reuters story:Acting swiftly to ensure Libya's pledge to give up nuclear weapons is implemented, the Bush administration may bring to the United States as early as next week centrifuges and nuclear material at the heart of Tripoli's program, senior U.S. officials say.
Documents and drawings from the Libyan program arrived in Washington on Friday. Centrifuges, uranium hexafluoride and other nuclear-related equipment �are in the next round, probably next week,� one official told Reuters.
This is excellent news - if this transaction were being handled by the UN or the IAEA, they would still be having meetings well into 2005 with the stuff just sitting there.Most, if not all, of the nuclear components will go to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Energy (news - web sites)'s largest science and energy laboratory.
This is good - not only is it a secure site, it also has some excellent labs. We will be taking each piece apart down to the atomic level so we can identify countries of origin, their level of technologies and who else might be trying to assemble a bomb.
And more:Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi pledged on Dec. 19 to abandon efforts to acquire nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in a surprise deal with old adversaries Washington and London.
That is how you do it -- you do not appease, you do not negotiate, you do not try to open a dialog. You stand strong and the weak will see your strength and yield.
This president has undone 30 years of foreign policy in just two years. The damage he has done with his stupidity and mulish 'thought experiments' will take ten years to repair at least. The whole situation would have never come to a head if we had strong leadership in the White House...
Posted by DaveH at March 3, 2011 9:43 PM