Esprit de Corps

Written by Scott Taylor

02.11.11

In the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi’s death, an abundance of video evidence has surfaced which clinically details the brutal circumstances of his murder at the hands of his captors. Many mainstream media outlets continue to cling to the mythical tale that Gaddafi was somehow killed “in a crossfire” even when all of the amateur video footage uploaded on the internet graphically reveals the 69-year-old ousted leader being beaten relentlessly—and even sodomized with a sharp object—before being executed with a bullet in the head.

Western leaders, including Prime Minister Harper, appeared to almost gloat over the fact that another of the world’s bad guys had received their comeuppance. Very few expressed any regrets over the manner in which the unarmed Gaddafi was beaten and slain. Certainly no one officially condemned the actions of those who captured and killed him. Apologists for NATO distanced themselves from the action by citing the fact that this was mob violence, generated by years of oppression and unchecked due to the absence of law and order. Unfortunately for those who would have us believe that this was not NATO’s responsibility, the fact is that Gaddafi was not killed by a mob.

He was captured by a unit of what the western media now describe as the “new government forces” of Libya, following a massive NATO air strike, which had thwarted the breakout attempt from Sirte by the last Gaddafi loyalists.

These new government forces are the same former rebels that NATO advisors have been arming and training for the past eight months. Since the fall of Tripoli on August 20, when Gaddafi was declared to be officially ousted from power, these new government forces are the de facto law and order in Libya. As armed combatants, they are subject to the Geneva Convention, which expressly forbids the mistreatment of unarmed prisoners of war.

Of course, the ruse that NATO has used since the outset of their intervention in March is that the air strikes launched against pro-Gaddafi forces were simply meant to protect Libyan civilians. As such, the rebels, for public relations purposes, had to be described as “armed civilians.” Even in the closing days of the campaign, when the last of the Gaddafi loyalists were surrounded and holed up in the last remaining bombed-out suburb of Sirte, NATO pilots were purportedly flying their strike missions to “protect the Libyan people.”

Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard, who commanded the NATO air operation in Libya, has said repeatedly that “regime change” was never the mandate of his mission. This, of course, does not explain why so many NATO air strikes were launched against not only Gaddafi’s command complex in Tripoli, but also his home and dwellings of his relatives.

Nevertheless, the thin premise that we supported Libyan civilians was maintained until the moment Gaddafi’s death was confirmed. The scenes of jubilation recorded by the Western media were initially those of heavily-armed former rebels, dressed in a startling array of varied civilian attire, blasting weapons into the air with an alarming disregard for the properties of gravity. There was, however, at least one staged event in Benghazi, in which a cluster of Libyan fighters were portrayed as far less fearsome. Dressed in brand new, crisp khaki uniforms, replete with an embroidered crest depicting the new Libyan flag, a dozen unarmed soldiers clapped and sang while others took turns dancing in the centre ring.

Those uniforms have no doubt been sitting in Benghazi warehouses for weeks, if not months. But for the purpose of maintaining the “armed civilian” façade, they could not be issued by NATO until end game was achieved. This demonstration of a kinder, gentler new security force was obviously a calculated play to illustrate instant visible progress in returning Libya to a civil society. However, before Western leaders could complete their round of congratulatory backslapping, Mahmoud Jebril, the interim prime minister, threw a damper on the festivities. In declaring Libya “liberated” from Gaddafi loyalists, Jebril announced that the new constitution of Libya will be based upon Sharia law. This will mean an immediate repealing of the progressive human rights previously enjoyed by Libyan women. Despite the fact that NATO deemed the rebels to be pro-democracy forces, it seems that Jebril and his National Transitional Council made these sweeping reforms without either holding an election, or holding a referendum. Presumably, he didn’t consult with his NATO sponsors either.