US: Mindset #35

US: Mindset #351. What is the United Nations? 2. Why would powerful countries want to control

weaker nations? (imperialism) 3. What is a totalitarian government?4. If citizens are unhappy with their totalitarian

government, what could they do to change it?5. THINKER: If the dictator of one country is

implementing harsh laws, do you think the U.S. should step in and help? Explain!

World: Mindset #371. What is the United Nations? 2. Why would powerful countries want to control

weaker nations? (imperialism) 3. What is a dictatorship?4. If citizens are unhappy with their dictator, what

could they do to change it?5. THINKER: If the dictator of one country is

implementing harsh laws, do you think the U.S. should step in and help? Explain!

Gaddafi comes to power• Gaddafi joined the Libyan

military in 1961 • September 1, 1969 – a small

group of junior military officers led by Gaddafi staged a bloodless coup against King Idris of Libya

• Next, they abolished the monarchy and created the new Libyan Arab Republic

• This republic was immediately deemed a “rogue state” by the U.S. President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt (right)

with the Leader of the Libyan Revolution, Muammar al-Gaddafi, 1969

Rogue State• Rogue State – a country whose conduct is considered

to be out of line with international norms of behavior• threatening to world peace• This means meeting certain criteria, such as being

ruled by a dictator, restricting human rights, sponsoring terrorism, and increasing weapons of mass destruction

• Usually, rogue states are not supported by democratic powers or the UN.

• What countries do you think the U.S. considers rogue states?

Libya under Gaddafi control• Gaddafi arrested members of the government and

named himself leader, prime minister, and defense minister.

• Libya was now ruled as a single party police state• Gaddafi soon expelled minority groups (Italians, Jews)

from the country and confiscated their property• He practiced Pan-Arabism, a belief in Arab nationalism

which said all Arabic countries should join together and form political, economic & military alliances. – Pan-Arabism strongly opposes Western involvement in the

Arab world

Territories of the Arab League

Libya under Gaddafi control• In 1975, Gaddafi published The Green Book– “required reading for all Libyans”– Rejected democracy, free press, and capitalism

• Dissent is illegal - surveillance takes place in government, factories, and education.

• Political conversations with foreigners is a crime punishable by three years of prison.

• Gaddafi removed foreign languages from school curriculum. • Prisons are run with little or no documentation of the inmate

population or basic data as prisoner's crime and sentence.• The regime has often executed dissenters publicly and the

executions are repeated in state television channels.• According to the Freedom of the Press Index, Libya is the

most censored country in the Middle East and North Africa.

Libya under Gaddafi control• Gaddafi's used “revolutionary committees” to

repress any political opposition or dissent– 10 to 20 percent of Libyans work in surveillance for

these committees• By 1979, the committees assumed control of all

elections.• 95% of Libya’s economy is from oil production.• Gaddafi passed laws for government control of all

oil fields (no private ownership), businesses, and banks.

• By 1982, 100,000 Libyans had fled the country.

Gaddafi’s intervention in Africa• In 1972, Gaddafi created the Islamic Legion to unify

the region under Arab control (priorities were Chad and Sudan)

• 1973-1994: Libya invades Chad for control of Aozou Strip.

• 1977: Libyan-Egyptian War• In 1972, Libya tried to buy a nuclear bomb from

China– Inspectors from the Chemical Weapons Convention

(CWC) verified in 2004 that Libya owned a stockpile of 23 metric tons of mustard gas and more than 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons

Gaddafi’s intervention in Africa

• 1978 – war with Tanzania

• Gaddafi supported the inhumane Sierra Leone diamond trade

• In 2001, Gaddafi invaded the Central African Republic

Libya and International Terrorism• 1971 – Gaddafi threatens France with military intervention • 1973 – Irish Navy confiscated ships carrying Libyan weapons• 1976 – supported Irish bombing of England• 1981 – conflicts between Gaddafi and Reagan (U.S. prohibited

travel to Libya, cut off oil shipments)• 1986 – Gaddafi started training Libyan suicide squads to attack

the U.S. and Europe• 1986 – bombing of Berlin (starts U.S. bombing of Libya)• 1987 – broke off relations with Australia• 1988 – Gaddafi ordered the bombing of London Pan Am flight

103, killing 250 people• In the late 1980’s Gaddafi supported Islamic terrorist groups in

Philippines, Austria, Indonesia, and New Zealand

UN Sanctions• After the bombing of the Pan Am flight, the United

Nations implemented sanctions, or penalties, on Libya.

• These sanctions basically cut Libya off from the rest of the world until 2003

• The sanctions included:– cut airline connections with the outer world– reduced diplomatic representation – prohibited the sale of military equipment. – froze Libya's foreign assets – banned the sale to Libya of refinery or pipeline equipment– $2.7 billion to the families effected by the flight

2011 Libyan Uprising• On February 15, 2011 protests spread across the country

calling for new leadership and elections.• Gaddafi responded with military force, censorship and

blocking of communications• The uprising escalated into armed conflict, with rebels

establishing a coalition named the Transitional National Council based in Benghazi.

• The International Criminal Court warned Gaddafi that he and members of his government may have committed crimes against humanity

• In early March, Gaddafi's forces rallied, push eastwards and re-took several coastal cities before attacking Benghazi

UN Involvement• On March 17, The United Nations Security council declared

the following:– no-fly zone over Libya, to prevent the use of military aircraft against

civilians– freeze the assets of Gaddafi and ten members of his inner circle and

restrict their travel– referred the actions of the regime to the International Criminal Court

for investigation• UN Security Council is made up of 15 members with 5 holding

the power of veto (China, France, Russia, Britain, U.S.)• The Gaddafi government then announced a ceasefire, but

failed to uphold it• On March 19, France, U.S., and England sent planes to control

the area and prevent attacks

Cities controlled by pro-Gaddafi forces

Cities controlled by anti-Gaddafi forces (supported by coalition forces)

Ongoing fighting/unclear situation

Were you paying attention?1. How did Gaddafi come to power?2. What is a rogue state?3. What is Pan-Arabism?4. What is Libya’s economy dependent on?5. Why did Gaddafi want to take over other countries

in Africa?6. Describe Libyan relations with the rest of the

world.7. After the 2011 uprising, what did the UN declare?8. Why did France and England send planes into

Libya?

Videos

• ABC News Video:• http://abcnews.go.com/International/libya-cri

sis-obama-moammar-gadhafi-ultimatum/story?id=13164938

What should the U.S. do?