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.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x