When the Arab Spring spread to Libya, President Sarkozy was the world
leader most vocally in favor of an international initiative to assist
the rebels. By the time Hillary opens this chapter at the March 2011
G-8 meeting in Paris (now G-7 since the ouster of Russia after the
invasion of Crimea), she had already evacuated Embassy Tripoli, issued a
statement, and addressed the situation at the Human Rights Council in
Munich. She was still unconvinced an international intervention would
be wise.
Her questions:
- Would the international community unite?
- Who were the rebels?
- Were they prepared to lead?
- What was the endgame?
Unlike
Egypt, the military in Libya and foreign mercenaries were attacking the
people under Qaddafi's orders. The rebels had formed a transitional
governing council and it was their representative, Mahmoud Jibril, whom
Hillary awaited as the chapter opens.
Hillary walks us through a
brief history of the U.S. and Qaddafi including the downing of Pan Am
103 over Lockerbie, his disconcerting fixation on Condi Rice, his 2009
visit to UNGA complete with his attempt to pitch his tent in Central
Park and his long rambling speech.
February 25, 2011 by
still4hill
February 26, 2011 by
still4hill
We
have always said that the Qadhafi government’s future is a matter for
the Libyan people to decide, and they have made themselves clear. When
a leader’s only means of staying in power is to use mass violence
against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to
do what is right for his country by leaving now. Moammar Qadhafi
has lost the confidence of his people and he should go without further
bloodshed and violence. The Libyan people deserve a government that is
responsive to their aspirations and that protects their universally
recognized human rights.
February 28, 2011 by
still4hill
Colonel
Qadhafi and those around him must be held accountable for these acts,
which violate international legal obligations and common decency.
Through their actions, they have lost the legitimacy to govern. And the
people of Libya have made themselves clear: It is time for Qadhafi to go
– now, without further violence or delay.
On March
9, she met at the White house with the national security team. There
was no appetite for engagement and not much hope that the one option
that seemed most likely - a no fly zone - would work.
She mentions
testifying before Congress on March 10. If this was the testimony, the
comments she quotes occurred in the Q & A and not in her opening
statements, but she did assure Congress that there were no plans for
unilateral action.
March 10, 2011 by
still4hill
March 10, 2011 by
still4hill
When
Jibril did show up he was in the company of Bernard-Henri Lévy,
philosopher, advisor to Sarkozy, and one who. in an Indiana Jones sort
of way, had managed to be on the ground to see what was happening in
Libya. The Arab League had voted to request a no fly zone of the Security
Council. Jibril, in the meeting, warned of imminent slaughter in
Benghazi - the seat of the revolution in Libya.
March 14, 2011 by
still4hill
March 31, 2011 by
still4hill
Truth time: I have long had an intellectual crush on Lévy. He is an odd mix of philosopher-journalist, and his logic is always superbe! Speaking with Eliot Spitzer on CNN’s In The Arena tonight, he said that we should listen more to Mrs. Clinton.
On
the show tonight because he is the one who convinced Sarkozy to take up
the free Libyan cause, he said that he told the French President that
there were French flags flying in Benghazi, and if Sarkozy did nothing,
there would be blood on the French flags. What a dramatic image!
Uncomplicated and true.
March 14, 2011 by
still4hill
On
the ground in Cairo. Hillary mentioned the resolutions before the U.N.
Security Council. There was a weak Russian-Chinese resolution and a
strong French-Lebanese resolution. In the end Lavrov agreed that Russia would not to vote against the stronger one, but would simply abstain - and that was enough. The
language of the stronger resolution contained the words "all necessary
measures" to protect civilians. The issue was whether there was to be
strictly a no fly zone or whether there was by extension a no drive
zone. Would the attacks be strictly air-to-air, or would air-to-ground
(seen as necessary to stop Qaddafi's ground troops from attacking rebel strongholds) be permissible?
March 15, 2011 by
still4hill
...
with regard to Libya, we welcomed the Arab League’s statement on
Saturday. And I consulted with my G-8 colleagues yesterday in Paris. As
you probably know, there is a British-French-Lebanese Security Council
resolution that is being discussed at this time in New York. We are
consulting with the Arab League about their understanding of the goals
and modalities of a no-fly zone as well as other forms of support. We
understand the urgency of this and therefore we are upping our
humanitarian assistance. We are looking for ways to support the
opposition, with whom I met last night. But we believe that this must be
an international effort and that there has to be decisions made in the
Security Council in order for any of these steps to go forward.
After
Cairo, she visited Tunisia, went back to DC briefly, and then was
wheels up again for Paris. This time she arrived with an agreement to
participate in a no fly zone in her very stylish bag.
In the course of reading her book and digging up the posts from the
events, I have learned not to be surprised anymore when her account differs from
how it was reported since she is telling the story from the inside while
we observed from outside. She tells this differently, but this is the
way it looked to all of us. We also have become accustomed to Hillary waiving credit for her accomplishments.
March 19, 2011
CNN’s
John King dubbed her the “Acting President” yesterday, and no less a
former adversary than MSNBC’s Chris Matthews called her the
Commander-in-Chief, saying she was presidential and strong. Roger L.
Simon at Pajamasmedia treated us to this header: Jets over Libya as H. Clinton Assumes Presidency.
The
amazing Hillary Rodham Clinton departed Paris on Tuesday on a mission
to convince the White House that participating in a No-Fly Zone was the
right thing to do to protect the brave Libyan freedom fighters who have
risen up against 42 years of dictatorship under the tyrant Mouammar
Gadhafi. In her meetings on Monday and Tuesday, she reportedly
responded to repeated requests for U.S. cooperation from various world
leaders with the mantra, “There are difficulties.”
But HRC knew
exactly what kind of an NFZ she wanted in order for the U.S. not to look
like the cliched “world’s policeman.” She knew exactly how the
coalition should be formed, and how her country should fit in. So when
she returned to D.C. early Friday morning, after visits to Egypt and
Tunisia, she did so with a mission. In a Situation Room meeting that
morning, she finally scored her victory, winning President Obama’s
agreement to participate in the coalition.
March 19, 2011 by
still4hill |
America
has unique capabilities and we will bring them to bear to help our
European and Canadian allies and Arab partners stop further violence
against civilians, including through the effective implementation of a
no-fly zone. As President Obama said, the United States will not deploy
ground troops, but there should be no mistaking our commitment to this
effort.
The international community came together to speak with
one voice and to deliver a clear and consistent message: Colonel
Qadhafi’s campaign of violence against his own people must stop. The
strong votes in the United Nations Security Council underscored this
unity. And now the Qadhafi forces face unambiguous terms: a ceasefire
must be implemented immediately – that means all attacks against
civilians must stop; troops must stop advancing on Benghazi and pull
back from Adjabiya, Misrata, and Zawiya; water, electricity, and gas
supplies must be turned on to all areas; humanitarian assistance must be
allowed to reach the people of Libya.
As you may know, French
planes are already in the skies above Benghazi. Now, America has unique
capabilities and we will bring them to bear to help our European and
Canadian allies and Arab partners stop further violence against
civilians, including through the effective implementation of a no-fly
zone. As President Obama said, the United States will not deploy ground
troops, but there should be no mistaking our commitment to this effort.
Before the end of the month, command of the no fly zone operation was ceded by the U.S. to NATO.
March 24, 2011 by
still4hill
In
response, the UN Security Council mandated all necessary measures to
protect civilians, including a no-fly zone. But the regime’s forces
continued their assaults, and last weekend they reached Benghazi itself.
We faced the prospect of an imminent humanitarian disaster. Hundreds of
thousands of civilians were in danger. So an international coalition
was compelled to act. French planes were the first to reach the skies
over Benghazi. Cruise missiles from the United States and the United
Kingdom followed, striking the region – the regime’s air defenses and
clearing the way for allied aircraft to implement the no-fly zone.
Many
other nations have now joined this effort. After only five days, we
have made significant progress. A massacre in Benghazi was prevented,
Qadhafi’s air force and air defenses have been rendered largely
ineffective, and the coalition is in control of the skies above
Libya...
Today we are taking the next step. We have agreed, along
with our NATO allies, to transition command and control for the no-fly
zone over Libya to NATO. All 28 allies have also now authorized military
authorities to develop an operations plan for NATO to take on the
broader civilian protection mission under Resolution 1973.
March 24, 2011 by
still4hill
Secretary
of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to London, United Kingdom,
March 29 to attend an international conference to discuss the Libyan
crisis, including ongoing implementation of United Nations Security
Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 and the humanitarian needs of those
affected by the conflict.
March 29, 2011 by
still4hill
Thank
you very much, Prime Minister, and thanks to you and your government
for the critical leadership effort you have demonstrated in our common
effort. Thanks too to France, which has been at the forefront of this
mission, including by hosting many of us last week in Paris, and really
thanks to everyone around this table. We have prevented a potential
massacre, established a no-fly zone, stopped an advancing army, added
more partners to this coalition, and transferred command of the military
effort to NATO. That’s not bad for a week of work at a time of great,
intense international concern...
We believe that Libya’s
transition should come through a broadly inclusive process that reflects
the will and protects the rights of the Libyan people. The Transitional
National Council and a broad cross-section of Libya’s civil society and
other stakeholders have critical contributions to make...
This is
a time of great change for Libya, for its neighbors across the region
and around the world. Under different governments, under different
circumstances, people are expressing the same basic aspirations – a
voice in their government, an end to corruption, freedom from violence
and fear, the chance to live in dignity, and to make the most of their
God-given talents. Now, we know these goals are not easily achieved, but
they are, without question, worth working for together. And I’m very
proud that this coalition has come to this place at this time to try to
pursue those goals.
March 29, 2011 by
still4hill
In late August, Qaddafi fled.
August 25, 2011 by
still4hill
August 29, 2011 by
still4hill
Secretary
of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Paris, France September 1
to participate in a senior-level meeting of the Contact Group on Libya.
September 1, 2011 by
still4hill
Well,
this is my ninth trip to discuss the current crisis in Libya, and each
time I have urged that our partners stay focused on the ultimate
objective of helping the Libyan people chart their way to a better
future. And today, that future is within their reach. All of us are
inspired by what is happening in Libya.
Six months ago, Libyans
stood up to demand fundamental rights and freedom. And when Qadhafi met
their peaceful protest with violence, the Libyan people refused to back
down. While their struggle is not over, the Libyan people are taking
back their country. Libya’s transformation is the – largely the result
of their own courage and their resilience in the face of very difficult
days. The sacrifice that the Libyan people have been willing to make in
order to obtain freedom and dignity has been extraordinary.
The
next month Hillary visited Malta and Libya. Malta, of
course, had been a way station for Americans evacuated in February and
deserved a grateful visit. From Malta, she proceeded to Libya.
October 17, 2011 by
still4hill
Landing in Libya, she was apprehensive but received a warm reception from the militia.
Mahmoud Jibril, with whom she had met in Paris in March, was the transitional Prime Minister.
October 18, 2011 by
still4hill
I
am proud to stand here on the soil of a free Libya. And on behalf of
the American people I congratulate all Libyans. It is a great privilege
to see a new future for Libya being born. And indeed, the work ahead is
quite challenging, but the Libyan people have demonstrated the resolve
and resilience necessary to achieve their goals.
One
of those challenges was coalescing so many disparate militias into a
single military force under civilian authority, Hillary points out.
Transitional Council leaders agreed with her. As we know, as of this
writing, that never happened and is the reason that today Libya is in
chaos with numerous militias battling each other and two parliaments.
Again our embassy is evacuated.
October 18, 2011 by
still4hill
She also visited a hospital.
Our embassy had been ransacked. They were running embassy services and operations out of the Ambassador's residence.
October 18, 2011 by
still4hill
Then she was wheels-up and out.
In
the book, Hillary explains that from Malta to Libya and back they flew
in a C-17 cargo transport because of the many shoulder-to-air weapons
on the ground in Libya and the obvious markings on her plane. I can
attest that these are very visible. When I lived in Haiti, then U.N.
Ambassador Andrew Young visited and flew in a similar plane. When his
flight was leaving I could, from my
gallerie, clearly see the
words "The United States of America" on his plane as it took off over
the Gulf of La Gonave. My heart burst with pride to see it. It was
wise not to send her "Big Blue Bird" into possible danger.
She notes that on the flight to Libya from Malta this happened.
And ultimately this!
Despite
all the fun generated by those pics of Hillary "running the world,"
she left Libya that day soberly worried about its future.
She had
been forced in late 2010 to recall Ambassador Gene Cretz, quite a
character as portrayed in her book, because of credible threats against
him. Chris Stevens, an expert on Libya, former envoy to the rebels in
Benghazi during the revolution, and very enthusiastic supporter of their
cause, accepted the job with gusto. Anyone who has seen his video
introducing himself to the people of Libya as the new American
Ambassador can see that.
The attacks on our outposts in Benghazi
were not the last of the problems engendered by a new government unable
to wrangle the many militias. As I write, Embassy Tripoli is once again
evacuated. Everyone has seen the videos by now. None of that is for
clouded vision on Hillary's part or anyone else's. Our mission, always,
is to go to the dangerous places and to try to talk and reason with
people.
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