Qaddafi Is Not Osama bin Laden

Qaddafi Is Not Osama bin Laden

The bombing of the Qaddafi compound is outrageous and unacceptable, besides being illegal.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi is not Osama bin Laden.

The killing of bin Laden, by a US Special Forces team, was a just and proper use of America’s national security capabilities to eliminate a terrorist who was engaged in open warfare with the United States. But the apparent, NATO-led efforts to kill Qaddafi, using targeted air strikes and on-the-ground intelligence capabilities, is something else entirely.

In the case of Libya, it’s an illegal assassination effort, not sanctioned by any UN resolution, to force regime change in a state that has never attacked the United States and poses no national security threat.

Yet the United States and NATO—NATO officials won’t say who, exactly—bombed a residential compound in Tripoli, killing Qaddafi’s son and several grandchildren, toddlers and infants. That’s outrageous and unacceptable.

Like this blog post? Read it on The Nation’s free iPhone App, NationNow.

Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.  

As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war. 

In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth. 

The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more. 

But this journalism is possible only with your support.

This March, The Nation needs to raise $50,000 to ensure that we have the resources for reporting and analysis that sets the record straight and empowers people of conscience to organize. Will you donate today?

Ad Policy
x