Chuck Spinney: From Algeria to Libya –Lessons Not Learned + USG CIA Web of Deceit in Arabia RECAP

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Director of National Intelligence et al (IC), DoD, Government, Intelligence (government), Military, Officers Call, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy
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Chuck Spinney

The triumphalism in the US surrounding the liquidation of Qadaffi may be short lived.  That is because most Americans do not appreciate how the legacy of anti-colonialism shapes the contemporary cultural DNA in North Africa or how influential that legacy has been in shaping the revolts of what is now called the Arab Spring.  There is more going on in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya than Jefferson's vision of revolution fertilizing the natural rights of man.

The coming elections in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya may well result in victories or strong showings for the Islamic parties in each nation’s politics.  The U.S., U.K., France, and Italy will not like such results, should they occur, and may will be tempted to intervene to contain or reverse them by influencing the elections either before the fact or overturning them after the fact.  Further intervention would be certain to produce yet more unpleasant blowback.

As Peter Osborne argues below, before doing anything, we would do well to remember what happened to Algeria after the 1991-2 election and leave well enough alone.  In what is widely regarded to have been a free and fair election, the Islamic Salvation Front (Front Islamique du Salut or FIS) won a stunning victory in Dec 1991 on the first ballot, just short of an outright majority.  It was clear that the FIS would win a majority on the second ballot scheduled for Jan 1992, and perhaps even enough votes to amend the Algerian constitution.  The Algerian army, aided (incited?) by France and the CIA, intervened to cancel the second ballot.  The cancellation triggered a chain of events leading to a nightmarish civil war that ultimately killed over 100,000 people and left a state that is still ripe for revolution.

Chuck Spinney

Barcelona

Libya: The Arab Spring may yet turn to chilly winter

We may not like the consequences of elections in North Africa – but we must not repeat the mistakes of the past.

By Peter Oborne, Telegraph, 22 Oct 2011

The extra-judicial execution of Colonel Gaddafi has been greeted with international elation, and understandably so. There was very little to be said in favour of that gnarled torturer and war criminal. Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron, who masterminded the campaign against him, have some excuse to take the view that with the killing of Gaddafi, and today’s elections in Tunisia, the Arab Spring appears to be entering a hopeful stage.

Read full article.

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Journal: Why they hate us (II): How many Muslims has the U.S. killed in the past 30 years?

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Review: Blood and Oil–The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum

Review: Daydream Believers–How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power

Review: Democracy Matters–Winning the Fight Against Imperialism (Hardcover)

Review: Devil’s Game–How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam (American Empire Project)

Review: Endless War–Middle-Eastern Islam vs. Western Civilization

Review: Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire

Review: In the Name of Democracy–American War Crimes in Iraq and Beyond

Review: Marching Toward Hell–America and Islam After Iraq

Review: New Turkish Republic–Turkey As a Pivotal State in the Muslim World

Review: Painful Questions–An Analysis of the September 11th Attack

Review: Reconciliation–Islam, Democracy, and the West

Review: Revolutions and Revolutionary Movements

Review: The Arab Revolt and the Imperialist Counterattack

Review: The CIA in Iran–The 1953 Coup and the Origins of the US-Iran Divide

Review: The Health of Nations–Society and Law beyond the State

Review: The Hidden History of 9-11

Review: The Looming Tower–Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

Review: The Road to 9/11–Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America

Review: The Three Trillion Dollar War–The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict

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Review: The War On Truth–9/11, Disinformation And The Anatomy Of Terrorism (Paperback)

Review: Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush

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