As the west begins to openly consider arming those opposing Gaddhafi western intervention in Libya is going deeper and further than initially envisaged by many. However, looking at recent history western intervention is rarely as it is presented:

1.     Despite claims Western intervention is never solely humanitarian. The west has a canny knack of intervening is countries of strategic or material interest. In contrast to oil-rich Libya the west has conveniently looked away while greater humanitarian crimes have been committed by the regimes in Burma, Zimbabwe, Congo, to mention a relative few.

2.     Western intervention is clearly not principled. While condemning the dictatorship of Gaddhafi the West continues to support dictators like Karimov in Uzbekistan; Kingdoms in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco; and military men in Asia and Africa.

3.     Western intervention is hardly ethical. Mubarak in Egypt, Iraq’s Saddam; and Ben Ali in Tunisia to quote a recent few were all for decades militarily, economically and politically propped up by the west.

4.     The west now talks about arming the rebels yet Gaddhafi is deploying arms and weapons supplied by the west against the people rising against his tyranny.

5.     When the west intervenes civilians die. Aerial bombings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq by the US have killed numerous civilians, women and children.

6.     The west’s use of no-fly zones and Ariel bombardment is normally a precursor to ground intervention – troop; bases, ‘black ops’. Mission creep in Iraq, Yugoslavia and Pakistan amply evidences this.

7.     Western intervention is rarely short-lived. The west has occupied Afghanistan for over a decade while interference in Iraq is approaching 10 years – with no end in sight in both countries.

8.     Client, corrupt governments are the political legacy of western intervention – of this there could not be a clearer example than US sponsored Hamid Karzi in Afghanistan and the client coalitions, parachuted in western backed dissidents and divisive factions in Iraq.

9.     Loans, debt and an economy controlled by the IMFis the economic legacy of western intervention. In spite of the heavy price paid by Pakistan in carrying out US demands, it is the Pakistani economy, which is hugely indebted with the IMF effectively writing Pakistan’s annual budget.

10.  Effective divisions of unified states and lands is the eventual result of western intervention as shown by the intervention in the Balkans and in Iraq with the north effectively autonomous from the US client leadership in Baghdad.