From Simpleton to Sucker

203

April 1, 2011

Published in der Tagesspiegel
(Germany) on 30 March 2011
by Malte Lehming (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Ron Argentati. Edited by Sam Carter.

The Americans, French and British are considering supplying the Libyan rebels with weapons so they can topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi more quickly. It’s amazing how easily they accept the notion that the rebels are somehow virtuous and democratic.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This facile worldview misses one important variation: What happens if the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy? The Americans never asked themselves that question some 30 years ago when they began supplying the Afghan Mujahadin with Stinger surface-to-air missiles and training them how to use them against the Soviets invading their country. That naiveté was dearly paid for later on. Now the Americans, French and British are considering supplying the Libyan rebels with weapons so they may more quickly topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Never mind that NATO members have reached no agreement on this plan. U.N. Resolution 1973 calls for the protection of civilian lives, not peace through superior firepower. It’s amazing how much lack of imagination there must be to assume that the rebels in Libya are somehow virtuous, democratic and respectful of human rights.

Meanwhile, there are numerous indicators that raise doubt about that. Whoever makes a mistake may be a simpleton, but whoever makes the same mistake twice is a sucker.

Vom Tor zum Trottel
Von Malte Lehming
30.03.2011

Amerikaner, Franzosen und Briten erwägen, die libyschen Rebellen mit Waffen zu versorgen, damit sie schneller den Diktator Gaddafi stürzen können. Es erstaunt, wie einfach davon ausgegangen wird, dass die Rebellen in Libyen schon irgendwie gut und demokratisch sind.

Den Feind meines Feindes erkläre ich zum Freund. In diesem schlichten Weltbild fehlt eine wichtige Variante: Was tun, wenn der Feind meines Feindes auch mein Feind ist? Diese Frage haben sich die Amerikaner nicht gestellt, als sie vor knapp 30 Jahren die afghanischen Mudschaheddin militärisch schulten und mit Stinger-Luftabwehrraketen ausrüsteten, damit die sowjetischen Invasoren besser bekämpft werden konnten. Später rächte sich die Naivität. Heute erwägen Amerikaner, Franzosen und Briten, die libyschen Rebellen mit Waffen zu versorgen, damit sie schneller den Diktator Muammar al-Gaddafi stürzen können. Abgesehen davon, dass die Nato über den Plan heftig zerstritten ist – das Leben von Zivilisten zu schützen, ist der Auftrag der UN-Resolution 1973, nicht Frieden zu schaffen mit immer mehr Waffen –, erstaunt die Phantasielosigkeit, mit der davon ausgegangen wird, dass die Rebellen in Libyen schon irgendwie gut, demokratisch und menschenrechtsachtend sind.

Dabei gibt es eine Fülle von Indizien, die daran zweifeln lassen. Wer einen Fehler zum ersten Mal begeht, ist ein Tor. Wer ein zweites Mal denselben Fehler macht, ist ein Trottel.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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