In some Arab countries governments and others who use force have been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands, or, in some cases like Sudan millions, of their own citizens.
In another regional case, Israel has savagely attacked Lebanese and Palestinian lands, killed thousands, imprisoned thousands more, colonised and ethnically cleansed Palestinian lands, and laid siege to Gaza to the extent that children’s growth is stunted due to lack of sufficient nutrition.
The difficult question arises then: Why should the world intervene in Libya if it does not intervene to stop killing and suffering caused by Arab and Israeli government policies in other parts of the Arab world? Why sanction Iran for concerns about hypothetical acts it might commit in the future in the nuclear field, when the same international community quietly acquiesces in mass human rights denials in many Arab countries?
My response is that the Libyans fighting for their liberty need assistance, and if military intervention is hard to offer, then all other forms of solidarity should be immediately used: recognise the opposition National Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, send large amounts of humanitarian and other aid, apply available international legal measures to pressure the Qadhafi regime and send military supplies if the National Council asks for them.
It is clear that the Qadhafi regime has lost its legitimacy in the eyes of its people and most of the world, and therefore the world should act firmly in the political and aid arenas to help the National Council achieve a transition to a new governance system.
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