# Libya too?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595 "2011-02-16T16:37:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/421 "2011-02-26T18:22:31Z")
I am not so sure Gadaffy is going down. In a war against guns, unarmed people lose. Lots of blood will soak the streets. But he will defend his right to the oil money if he has to kill every citizen that does not work in the oil fields. What kind of people would be willing to shoot unarmed civilians for money? I shudder to think of it. But if he can buy enough people to do his dirty work, he can prevail. Libya will be an even worse place after it ends. The middle east will suffer from a lack of tourists for a long time. That is a big deal to their economies. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/422 "2011-02-26T18:35:47Z")
He’s going down. The question is _how much_ blood will soak the streets in the process. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/423 "2011-02-26T19:12:13Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I am not so sure Gadaffy is going down. In a war against guns, unarmed people lose. It’s easy to miss this in the press reports, but the opposition has guns. Quite a lot of them, at this point. They started out as peaceful protestors, but now, with the army defections and their own government trying to exterminate them, the “protestors” have become armed rebels. The _military_ success of the protestors accounts for all of Libya having fallen to them, except for Tripoli. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/424 "2011-02-26T19:12:17Z")
Looks like the RAF and UK Special Forces have been busy. > [@](#): > > I can confirm that two RAF C130 Hercules aircraft have evacuated around 150 civilians from desert locations south of Benghazi. > **[RAF Hercules planes rescue 150 from Libya desert](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12588947)** > > Two RAF Hercules have flown about 150 civilians to safety after a rescue mission in the Libyan desert, the defence secretary says. Interestingly, that article explicitly mentioned the SAS and SBS when it first appeared about half an hour ago. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/425 "2011-02-26T21:56:51Z")
> [@straight\_man](#): > > It’s easy to miss this in the press reports, but the opposition has guns. Quite a lot of them, at this point. They started out as peaceful protestors, but now, with the army defections and their own government trying to exterminate them, the “protestors” have become armed rebels. The _military_ success of the protestors accounts for all of Libya having fallen to them, except for Tripoli. Trained pros will dominate the civilians. The battle of Tripoli will be the final battle . If the military fights with him the people are doomed and a bloodbath will follow.. If he can hire enough mercenaries and the army stands by, he can win that way too,. ---
**Author:** ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/426 "2011-02-26T22:33:07Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Trained pros will dominate the civilians. Not what happened in Benghazi. There were elite troops in the base and they got their asses handed to them. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/427 "2011-02-26T23:20:42Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > What kind of people would be willing to shoot unarmed civilians for money? What? There’s them as would pay **you** for the chance. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/428 "2011-02-26T23:22:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > What? There’s them as would pay **you** for the chance. C-PAC 2012, Libya? I’m seeing some synergy here! ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/429 "2011-02-26T23:33:52Z")
Check out this [demonstrator’s sign from Tripoli](http://i.huffpost.com/gen/251755/thumbs/r-LIBYA-PROTESTS-TRIPOLI-large570.jpg). Oooh. The colors are the old/rebel Libyan flag. And note the skulls around his waist. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/430 "2011-02-26T23:35:18Z")
[Obama says Gaddafi should go.](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/02/obama-hillary-clinton-moammar-kadafi-libya.html) Finally. Now, recognize the provisional government! As for a no-fly zone – is Gaddafi actually using air power at the moment? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/431 "2011-02-26T23:42:53Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I am not so sure Gadaffy is going down. In a war against guns, unarmed people lose. Lots of blood will soak the streets. But he will defend his right to the oil money if he has to kill every citizen that does not work in the oil fields. > What kind of people would be willing to shoot unarmed civilians for money? I . I don’t believe he’s staying in power for money (contrarily to the utterly corrupt Ben Ali). IMO, he’s after power, and believes in his delusions and in his destiny (leading a pan-Arab, then a pan-African union) ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/432 "2011-02-27T00:32:48Z")
Leaders get way too much love from carefully picked crowd sand meetings where their fans are in attendance. After a while they think everybody loves them. That is why Palin is amazed to see some people don’t love her. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/433 "2011-02-27T01:19:06Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Leaders get way too much love from carefully picked crowd sand meetings where their fans are in attendance. After a while they think everybody loves them. That is why Palin is amazed to see some people don’t love her. Or just look at Micheal Jackson; he wasn’t even a political leader, much less a dictator with absolute power. But simply being wealthy and surrounded by fans and toadies for so many years was enough to send him quite a ways around the bend. That kind of uncritical adulation and isolation from the real world isn’t good at all for people. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/434 "2011-02-27T02:03:03Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Or just look at Micheal Jackson; he wasn’t even a political leader, much less a dictator with absolute power. But simply being wealthy and surrounded by fans and toadies for so many years was enough to send him quite a ways around the bend. That kind of uncritical adulation and isolation from the real world isn’t good at all for people. Which does not mean it isn’t worth having, of course. It’s **good** to be the king! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/435 "2011-02-27T02:23:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s **good** to be the king! Until it isn’t, and you find you’ve missed the clues. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/436 "2011-02-27T02:25:22Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Which does not mean it isn’t worth having, of course. It’s **good** to be the king! 😃 Until the revolting \* peasants rise up! - They still stink on ice. 🙂 On a related note, it was surprising to me to find that among the factors why the French revolution took place were the crop failures on 1788–89 that caused the rise of the price of bread. For many in France, it meant paying from one third to half of their salary or pay in food alone. We should not forget that a factor also for the current unrest in northern Africa and the ME are the shortages and the rise in food prices caused by the recent crop failures in Russia and other places. ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/437 "2011-02-27T03:51:22Z")
[QUOTE=GIGObuster] We should not forget that a factor also for the current unrest in northern Africa and the ME are the shortages and the rise in food prices caused by the recent crop failures in Russia and other places. [/QUOTE] And what we have seen is only the tip of the iceberg. Or rather the [continent](http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/02/201122164254698620.html). This is going to a very long “year of rage”. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/438 "2011-02-27T04:36:48Z")
[Rebel army may be formed to march on Tripoli.](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/26/AR2011022603771.html) [Gaddafi tightens his grip on the capital.](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-libya-kadafi-20110227,0,6062616.story) War it is. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/439 "2011-02-27T06:38:53Z")
The United Nations Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved a draft resolution to impose sanctions against Libya ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595/440 "2011-02-27T06:49:53Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > And what we have seen is only the tip of the iceberg. Or rather the [continent](http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/02/201122164254698620.html). > > This is going to a very long “year of rage”. By the [Democracy Index,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_index) most African regimes are authoritarian. If that could be changed . . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libya-too/571595.md?page=23)