Urgent Appeal: Support the Human Rights of the Libyan People

Support the Human Rights of the Libyan People

Greetings,

Like the rest of the world, the U.S. was certainly surprised by the movement of change that is sweeping the Middle East. The Obama administration has been struggling to keep up with these world-historic events and develop an adequate and coherent strategy.

In Tunisia and Egypt, the U.S. adopted a wait-and-see strategy and tried to play it safe. In Egypt, the U.S. position swung between emphasizing stability and calling for an organized transition of power the pace of which was decided day by day depending on the situation on the ground. But the Obama administration managed to salvage the situation by helping restraining the military, ‘facilitating’ the departure of both presidents, and supporting and welcoming change. That has certainly helped saving a lot of lives.

It seemed that the U.S. assembled some sort of strategy that was working. It’s a conservative and a cautious strategy that mixes change with stability by advocating the cleansing but saving of the regimes and enacting genuine reform that put the country on the path of transition towards democracy, the shape and character of which was deferred.

For few days, it seemed that the makeshift strategy was working, until it was tested in Bahrain, Libya, and Yemen, where it was badly exposed, particularly in Libya. Here, the massacre is much worse and the U.S. position was much weaker after a period of disturbing silence. Given the scope of the mayhem and the potential disastrous scenarios, this stand is not only morally wrong but also constitutes a strategic blunder that may turn out to be of the same caliber as that of the Iranian fiasco.

Libya is in a very serious impasse. Because of the scope of atrocities and casualties, both parties, the people and the regime, have crossed the point of no return. The regime is careless about its image, and has proved that there is no limit to its ruthlessness, especially in the wake of the American and European silence. Qaddafi has hardly any place to resort to. But if the people remove the regime by force, it would be in a very bloody and messy way, and it will probably create a widespread chaos, which may make Libya a failed state and a fertile ground for terrorism. This is because if Tunisia and Egypt lacked the democratic infrastructure, in Libya, the society is tribal and there is no infrastructure whatsoever, even to manage the daily affairs of people. Plus, the Libyan people will never forget or forgive that they were being massacred while the world was silent. If the US does not lend the moral and actual support for the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people, then not only will we have gained another people's animosity and accusation of double standards, but will have lost any leverage to influence the outcome on the ground. That will be an unforgettable blunder that will come and haunt our national interests in the region for years to come!

For all these reasons, we are calling on an immediate and forceful U.S. position to lead the international community to restrain the Libyan regime and help charting a way out of this impasse and fulfill the aspirations and demands of the Libyan people. The current stand is very shortsighted and may jeopardize the U.S. credibility, image, and interests. Supporting change when it becomes eminent or welcoming after it happens will not work in the case of Libya.

We understand that events are happening very fast, and the U.S. complex system and web of interests do not help making quick change of strategy. But these are very special times and the stakes are too high to react slowly to them. Supporting the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people is not only the right thing to do – morally – but is the sure way to preserve our national interests in the region!

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