The 2011 war in Libya
Obama’s illegal war against Libya
By Patrick Martin, 8 June 2011
The Obama administration is flouting both the US Constitution and the War Powers Act by waging a war without congressional authorization.
Canada to expand its role in imperialist assault on Libya
By Keith Jones, 8 June 2011
Canada’s Conservative government has announced that the Canadian Armed Forces will play a leading role in the imperialist assault on Libya for weeks, possibly months, to come.
Hands off Libya!
Behind NATO’s war drive
Sheffield SEP Public Meeting
7 June 2011
The SEP and WSWS is holding this meeting to discuss the real reasons for the NATO war on Libya.
Helicopter attacks mark further escalation of US-NATO war in Libya
By Patrick O’Connor, 6 June 2011
British and French assault helicopters began operations over key Libyan cities on Saturday, marking a significant escalation of NATO’s war of aggression in the North African state.
US House leaders block resolution against Libya war
By Patrick Martin, 6 June 2011
The top House Republican, Speaker John Boehner, and the top Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, joined forces in support of Obama’s war in Libya.
NATO extends authorisation for Libya bombardment to September
By Patrick O’Connor, 2 June 2011
Washington and its NATO allies are readying an intensified campaign aimed at ousting the Gaddafi government and installing a client regime in Tripoli.
The war in Libya and the crisis of the European Union
Part 3
By Peter Schwarz, 1 June 2011
The following article is based on a report, given by Peter Schwarz, secretary of the International Committee of the Fourth International, at a seminar of the German section of the Socialist Equality Party during the Easter holidays in 2011. We are publishing it in three parts.
The war in Libya and the crisis of the European Union
Part 2
By Peter Schwarz, 31 May 2011
The following article is based on a report, given by Peter Schwarz, secretary of the International Committee of the Fourth International, at a seminar of the German section of the Socialist Equality Party during the Easter holidays in 2011. We are publishing it in three parts.
The war in Libya and the crisis of the European Union
Part 1
By Peter Schwarz, 30 May 2011
The following article is based on a report given by Peter Schwarz, secretary of the International Committee of the Fourth International, at a seminar of the German section of the Socialist Equality Party during the Easter holidays in 2011. We are publishing it in three parts.
Amidst divisions, G8 meeting pledges austerity and war
By Stefan Steinberg, 28 May 2011
At the end of their two day summit, G8 leaders demanded an intensification of austerity programs across the globe and reiterated their resolve to secure the change of uncooperative regimes by military force.
NATO bombing of Tripoli kills 19 civilians, wounds 150
By Bill Van Auken, 25 May 2011
With the most intense bombing raid yet against Tripoli and a threat to deploy attack helicopters, the US and NATO are sharply escalating the war in Libya.
The Libyan war and American democracy
By Patrick Martin, 24 May 2011
President Obama is defying the War Powers Act restrictions on presidential war-making.
Death squad attacks in Libyan “rebel” capital
By Patrick Martin, 23 May 2011
While the protection of civilian lives is the nominal justification for the NATO attack on Libya, the NATO-backed opposition forces are engaged in their own campaign of murder.
NATO warplanes step up attacks on Libya
By Bill Van Auken, 18 May 2011
NATO has escalated its war against Libya, widening air strikes to hit civilian government buildings and economic infrastructure.
The International Criminal Court and Gaddafi
By Chris Marsden, 18 May 2011
The request by chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo for arrest warrants against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and two others confirms the role of the International Criminal Court as a tool of the imperialist powers.
ICC prosecutor demands arrest warrant against Gaddafi
By Patrick O’Connor, 17 May 2011
In proceeding as it has against Gaddafi, the International Criminal Court has revealed itself to be a pliant tool of US and European imperialism.
As opposition leader meets Obama officials at White House
NATO air raid kills Libyan civilians in Brega
By Bill Van Auken, 14 May 2011
A representative of the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council met with officials at the White House Friday as the US and NATO moved to escalate their intervention in Libya.
Italy’s role in the war on Libya
By Marianne Arens, 14 May 2011
Italian fighter jets take off regularly from the Birgi Trapani air force base in Sicily and from the aircraft carrier Garibaldi, to drop their deadly cargo over the former Italian colony.
Death squads reportedly assassinating Libyan regime figures in Benghazi
By Patrick O’Connor, 12 May 2011
The New York Times yesterday reported on a wave of execution-style murders of former Libyan government internal security personnel in Benghazi.
NATO ships, planes left African refugees stranded in Mediterranean to die
By Barry Grey, 10 May 2011
The British Guardian newspaper published an investigative report Monday documenting the case of African refugees who were left to die by NATO and European authorities in the early days of the war against Libya.
Threat of war crimes charges levelled against Gaddafi and son
By Chris Marsden, 9 May 2011
The threat of war crimes charges against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, his son and other officials is a weapon fashioned and wielded by the major powers now waging war on Libya.
The war against Libya and the German Left Party
By Lucas Adler, 7 May 2011
The Left Party is using the war against Libya to move closer to the German government and shield it against popular opposition.
Washington funnels confiscated Libyan assets to “rebel” leadership
By Patrick O’Connor, 6 May 2011
The illegality of the Obama administration’s moves to use Libya’s national wealth to keep the so-called rebel leadership afloat underscores the colonial character of the US-NATO war to oust Muammar Gaddafi.
Rome meeting to consider further military action against Libya
By Susan Garth, 4 May 2011
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Rome today for a two-day meeting of the Libya Contact Group.
US, NATO defend air strike that murdered Gaddafi family members
By Barry Grey, 3 May 2011
US and NATO officials have brushed aside charges by the Libyan government that the air strike Saturday night that killed the youngest son and three grandchildren of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was a targeted assassination intended to murder Gaddafi.
Gaddafi family members murdered by US and NATO
By James Cogan, 2 May 2011
The killing of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s youngest son and three grandchildren are political assassinations for which US and NATO leaders are directly responsible.
NATO bomb attack on Libya kills Misrata “rebel” fighters
By Patrick O’Connor, 29 April 2011
The “friendly fire” incident underscores the bogus character of the claims by Washington and Brussels that their “precision” bombing raids are aimed at protecting the Libyan people.
US, NATO defend policy of targeting Gaddafi
By Patrick Martin, 28 April 2011
Assassination of the Libyan ruler is now the barely disguised policy of the Western powers.
25 years ago—The first US attempt to murder Gaddafi
By Patrick Martin, 28 April 2011
The Obama administration is reprising the methods of the Reagan administration.
US, UK plot Libya war escalation
By Bill Van Auken, 27 April 2011
The civilian and uniformed chiefs of the US and British military machines met in Washington Tuesday to plot a further escalation of the imperialist intervention in Libya.
US, NATO attempt assassination of Gaddafi
By Bill Van Auken, 26 April 2011
With the attack Monday morning on the Bab al-Azizyah complex in Tripoli, the US-NATO war on Libya has entered a criminal new phase that incorporates the policy of assassination.
US senators call for Gaddafi’s assassination
By James Cogan, 25 April 2011
Senior leaders of the US Congress yesterday called for the assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a major escalation of air strikes.
Mounting Libyan death toll from US-NATO bombings
By Barry Grey, 23 April 2011
The death toll in Libya from US, French and British air strikes continues to mount and promises to rise sharply as the imperialist powers escalate their attacks on both military and civilian targets.
Obama sends drones to Libya as Britain readies troops
By Bill Van Auken, 22 April 2011
The Obama administration has joined Britain and France in a major escalation of the war against Libya that entails the deployment of US drones, intensified bombing and the preparation of an invasion force.
Former colonial powers send military “advisers” to Libya
By Bill Van Auken, 21 April 2011
Following Britain’s lead, France and Italy announced Wednesday that they too will be sending military “advisers” to anti-Gaddafi forces in Libya, bringing the three former colonial powers back into the region they once ruled.
Intensified bombing, military “advisers” on the ground
Britain and France escalate war in Libya
By Patrick Martin, 20 April 2011
British military officers are going to Benghazi to direct ground operations, while France is deploying additional airstrike capability.
Italy plans to step up its participation in the war against Libya
By Marianne Arens, 20 April 2011
As the bombing of Libya enters its fourth week, Italy is looking for ways to participate more actively in the war.
Libyan war accelerates Chinese debate over “non-intervention”
By John Chan, 19 April 2011
The increasingly blatant use of military force by the US and European powers to further their interests is causing Beijing to rethink its foreign policy.
France, Britain step up drive for deployment of ground troops in Libya
By Patrick O’Connor, 19 April 2011
In a televised interview yesterday, British Prime Minister David Cameron repeatedly refused to rule out launching operations involving ground troops.
Spain: Catalan Greens vote for war with Libya
By Alejandro Lopéz and Paul Mitchell, 19 April 2011
The Catalan Greens, Iniciativa per CatalunyaVerds (ICV), voted in favour of the war in Libya supported by the ruling Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) in Congress last month.
European Union divided over refugee question
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 18 April 2011
The landing of North African refugees landing on the Italian island of Lampedusa and on Malta has unleashed a series of violent disputes within the EU.
UK government pledges increased funds for Libya war
By Julie Hyland, 18 April 2011
The coalition government has agreed to hand over millions in emergency “back door” funding for operations in Libya, amid signs that it is back pedaling on planned military spending cuts.
Imperialist powers prepare escalation of Libyan war
By Patrick Martin, 18 April 2011
Once again, “humanitarian” pretexts are being given for a colonial-style war of plunder.
BRICS summit denounces “use of force” against Libya
By John Chan, 18 April 2011
Global economic shifts are behind the push by the BRICS grouping for the Western powers to make room for the “emerging economies”.
Obama demands regime change in Libya
By Stefan Steinberg, 16 April 2011
In an open letter published Friday, the Obama administration, together with the heads of government in France and Great Britain, openly acknowledged that the purpose of the NATO bombing of Libya was regime change.
The Libyan war and the deepening inter-imperialist conflict
By Alex Lantier and David North, 16 April 2011
The joint statement issued by US President Barack Obama, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Libya intensifies the political divisions in Europe underlying the neo-colonial operation in North Africa.
Divisions deepen as NATO digs in for a prolonged war against Libya
By Stefan Steinberg, 15 April 2011
Following the first day of the NATO summit in Berlin, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was forced to concede that, despite his plea for increased participation in the NATO operation against Libya, no firm pledges had been made.
Contact Group meeting in Doha plans imperialist carve-up of Libya
By Alex Lantier, 14 April 2011
The Doha meeting highlighted the role of the opposition Interim Transitional National Council as a stooge of the major powers seeking to advance their imperialist interests in Libya.
Divisions at European Union summit on Libyan intervention
By Chris Marsden, 13 April 2011
The European Union’s Luxembourg summit on Libya was dogged by conflicting great power interests even before it officially met.
African Union’s Libya ceasefire rejected by opposition and NATO powers
By Chris Marsden, 12 April 2011
Libya’s rebels formally rejected the ceasefire proposed by the African Union Monday, following talks in Benghazi.
Scandinavian and other “neutral” states support assault on Libya
By Steve James, 12 April 2011
Eight Swedish fighter aircraft joined the NATO operation against Libyan government forces last week.
European Union prepares to send ground troops to Libya
By Chris Marsden, 11 April 2011
The European Union is seeking to utilise the humanitarian cover of the fate of the besieged city of Misrata to send ground troops to Libya under its command.
Germany does an about-face on Libya war
By Dietmar Henning and Peter Schwarz, 11 April 2011
Three weeks after rejecting any German military involvement in the war in Libya, the German government has done a complete about-face.
US Senate discusses sending troops to Libya
By Chris Marsden, 9 April 2011
Gen. Carter Ham told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that US troops may have to be sent to Libya because there is little chance of the opposition Transitional National Council defeating the forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
New York Times demands escalation of killing in Libya
By Bill Van Auken, 9 April 2011
Having endorsed the Obama administration’s war in Libya on the pretext of “protecting civilians,” the editors of the New York Times are now demanding a sharp escalation in the killing through the reintroduction of the US military’s flying gunships.
Obama makes clear US opposition to ceasefire, insists on regime change in Libya
By Julie Hyland, 8 April 2011
US President Barack Obama’s rejection of Muammar Gaddafi’s plea for a ceasefire again underscores that NATO’s intervention into Libya’s civil war has nothing to do with protecting civilians.
Canadian elections: Deafening silence on Libyan and Afghan wars exemplifies all-party support
By Keith Jones, 7 April 2011
Canada’s federal election campaign is now almost two weeks old, yet the fact that the country is involved in two wars has merited no substantive comment from the party leaders, let alone given rise to any debate between them.
One hundred and fifty feared dead in Mediterranean boat tragedy
By Stefan Steinberg, 7 April 2011
Coast guards reported that the straits between the island of Lampedusa and the North African coast were the scene of yet another tragedy, after a boat capsized in stormy seas with many lives lost.
US, NATO allies join scramble for Libya’s oil
By Bill Van Auken, 6 April 2011
A US delegation arrived in Benghazi Tuesday for talks with the Transitional National Council, the political arm of the so-called rebels fighting Gaddafi.
Meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Libya and the myth of humanitarian interventionism: A reply to the pro-war “left”
6 April 2011
David North, Chairman of the World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board, will respond to the arguments of the “human rights” advocates of the US-NATO bombing of Libya.
The war against Libya and the eruption of European imperialism
By Chris Marsden, 5 April 2011
The readiness of the European powers to line up almost unanimously behind the imperialist war against Libya is a defining moment in the political life of the continent.
US and allies gear up for protracted war in Libya
By Barry Grey, 5 April 2011
The US-led war coalition rejected ceasefire offers by the Libyan government on Monday and reiterated its demand that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family leave the country as the precondition for any resolution to the crisis.
Mounting evidence of CIA ties to Libyan rebels
By Patrick Martin, 4 April 2011
The US and British media now speak openly of the CIA connections of the top commander of the Libyan rebels.
The war on Libya: a new eruption of imperialist rivalry
By Nick Beams, 2 April 2011
Not since the 1930s, in the lead-up to World War II, have the conflicting economic and strategic interests of the rival imperialist powers been so openly pursued as they are in the war on Libya.
Signs of crisis and internal conflict in US-NATO war on Libya
By Patrick Martin, 2 April 2011
The US is withdrawing its jets from the air war while the US-backed rebels have offered a ceasefire to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
The agents of Washington and Britain within Libya’s opposition leadership
By Julie Hyland, 2 April 2011
The Interim Transitional National Council was not officially able to participate in the conference held on Libya at London’s Lancaster House on Tuesday due to differences within the war coalition over support for the anti-Gaddafi leadership.
US, Britain press two-track policy in Libya war
By Patrick Martin, 1 April 2011
Washington and London are combining efforts to destabilize the Gaddafi regime from within and to bolster the flagging rebel military campaign.
Libya, imperialism and the prostration of the “left” intellectuals:
The case of Professor Juan Cole
By David North, 1 April 2011
Among the most striking features of the US-NATO onslaught against Libya has been the widespread support that this “war of choice” has evoked among left-liberal parties and the affluent middle-class milieu that comprise an important part of their constituency.
US-NATO bombings kill civilians in Tripoli
By Bill Van Auken, 1 April 2011
US-NATO air strikes on Tripoli have claimed growing numbers of civilian victims, according to the Vatican’s top representative in the Libyan capital.
London School of Economics was hub of relations between British elite and Gaddafi regime
By Simon Whelan, 1 April 2011
In late February, damaging revelations emerged concerning the London School of Economics (LSE) award of a PhD to an allegedly plagiarised paper by Colonel Gaddafi’s son, Saif.
British government seeks new powers to ban demonstrations
By Robert Stevens, 1 April 2011
The aftermath of last week’s Trades Union Congress demonstration in London has seen a new campaign to curtail the right to protest and increase police repression.
The debate on “arming the rebels”
Washington prepares to escalate the war in Libya
By Bill Van Auken, 31 March 2011
The ongoing public debate in Washington and the American media on “arming the rebels” in Libya points to a dramatic escalation of the US-led war.
London conference highlights imperialist power grab in Libya
By Alex Lantier, 31 March 2011
Discussions at the March 29 conference on Libya underscore that the Western-led war aims to install the rebel National Council as an imperialist puppet regime in Libya.
Libyan rebels massacre black Africans
By Wolfgang Weber, 31 March 2011
The opposition forces in Libya are responsible for barbaric, pogrom-like massacres against black African workers.
London conference plots imperialist carve-up of Libya
By Barry Grey, 30 March 2011
The conference on Libya held Tuesday at London's Lancaster House was a repulsive exercise in hypocrisy and cynicism.
American media silent on CIA ties to Libya rebel commander
By Patrick Martin, 30 March 2011
The new commander of the rebel military forces is a longtime CIA collaborator named Khalifa Hifter.
Spain takes its place in the imperialist war against Libya
By Alejandro López, 30 March 2011
The Spanish parliament voted last week in favour of Spanish military intervention in Libya with 336 in favour, just 3 against and 1 abstention.
Obama on Libya: A war for US “interests”
By Bill Van Auken, 29 March 2011
In his first speech to the American public on what is now a 10-day-old war against Libya, Obama made a case for US imperialism’s right to carry out military aggression anywhere in the world where it sees its “interests and values” at stake.
The war in Libya and the new scramble for Africa
By Chris Marsden, 29 March 2011
Today’s international conference on Libya in London will be dutifully reported in the media as a gathering of concerned parties determined to honour their pledge to safeguard civilians from reprisals by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
Civilian casualties mount in US-led air war against Libya
By Barry Grey, 29 March 2011
As delegates from 40 countries and international organizations gather in London today to coordinate the US-NATO war against Libya, carried out in the name of protecting civilians, the toll of Libyans killed and injured by US, British and French bombs continues to mount.
The Italian “left” and Libya
By Marc Wells, 29 March 2011
As European and US bombs fall on Libya, the so-called “left” in Italy is serving as nothing more than a fig leaf for Western imperialism as it seeks to keep full geopolitical and economic control of North Africa and the Middle East.
Gates and Clinton hint at open-ended war in Libya
By Barry Grey, 28 March 2011
The US and its European allies stepped up their bloody bombing campaign on the side of anti-Gaddafi forces over the weekend, further exposing the pretext of a “limited, humanitarian” intervention for the supposed purpose of protecting Libyan civilians.
Reports suggest French intelligence encouraged anti-Gaddafi protests
By Alex Lantier, 28 March 2011
Reports have emerged in European media alleging that efforts by French intelligence to destabilize or topple the Libyan government of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi may have played a role in last month’s protests in Benghazi.
Britain steps up campaign for regime change, targeted assassination in Libya
By Julie Hyland, 28 March 2011
On Tuesday, London is hosting an international conference to establish a “contact group” of those countries involved in operations against Libya, plus representatives from the African Union and Arab League.
A CIA commander for the Libyan rebels
By Patrick Martin, 28 March 2011
The newly appointed military chief of the Libyan rebels has ties to American intelligence agencies going back a quarter-century.
Washington seeks NATO cover for protracted war against Libya
By Bill Van Auken, 26 March 2011
The Obama administration is formally shifting its war in Libya to NATO command as the US-led alliance predicts the fighting will go on for at least another three months.
Bernard-Henri Lévy makes “humanitarian” case for bombing Libya
By Alex Lantier, 26 March 2011
Lévy uses his bogus “human rights” credentials to bolster the propaganda of the French government—which claims to be intervening in Libya in a limited campaign designed to protect the lives of rebel National Council supporters.
China and Russia criticise Libyan bombing campaign
By John Chan, 25 March 2011
Moscow and Beijing are concerned that Washington is once again using its military might to advance its strategic ambitions at their expense.
Air strikes escalate, stalemate deepens in fighting around Libyan cities
By Patrick Martin, 25 March 2011
Air strikes by French, British and American warplanes continued to expand in Libya Thursday, but despite the massive firepower deployed by the imperialist powers against the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, anti-Gaddafi rebels remained stalemated in the ground warfare.
A tool of imperialism: France’s New Anti-Capitalist Party backs war on Libya
By Alex Lantier, 25 March 2011
The New Anti-Capitalist Party’s support for the unprovoked military aggression against Libya by the US, Britain, and France brands the NPA and its co-thinkers in the Pabloite United Secretariat of the Fourth International (USFI) as political agents of French and world imperialism.
US-NATO warplanes strike Libyan ground forces
By Bill Van Auken, 24 March 2011
US and NATO warplanes turned their firepower Wednesday against ground forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Libya war divides NATO
By Peter Schwarz, 24 March 2011
The war against Libya has ignited a heated conflict within NATO.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow lines up behind Obama’s attack on Libya
By David Walsh, 24 March 2011
On March 21, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, a principal voice of the American liberal-left in the mainstream media, offered a defense of the Obama administration and its role in launching a military assault on Libya.
US escalates military onslaught against Libya
By Patrick Martin, 23 March 2011
The air attacks are now targeting Libyan ground troop concentrations, threatening thousands of deaths.
British Parliament overwhelmingly endorses war
By Robert Stevens, 23 March 2011
The entire British political establishment has endorsed the air war against Libya, with Parliament voting almost unanimously in support of the use of UK military forces.
German Greens agitate for war
By Peter Schwarz, 23 March 2011
Joschka Fischer, former spokesman of the Green Party and minister of foreign affairs in the Social Democratic Party-Green Party coalition government, is at the forefront of the agitation for German involvement in the war against Libya.
US, Europe intensify Libya onslaught
By Tom Eley, 22 March 2011
The US, France and the UK stepped up their bombardment of Libya, including a missile strike on a Gaddafi residential compound.
The bombing of Gaddafi’s compound
By Barry Grey, 22 March 2011
The bombing of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s personal compound in Tripoli Sunday night epitomizes the criminal character of the war launched by the US and its allies.
Canada joins imperialist assault on Libya
By Keith Jones, 22 March 2011
Canada’s entire political establishment, including the trade union-sponsored New Democratic Party, has rallied round the Conservative government’s decision to order the Canadian Armed Forces to wage war on Libya, alongside US, French, and British forces.
US, France and Britain launch war of aggression against Libya
By Patrick Martin, 21 March 2011
Bombs and missiles have already killed hundreds of Libyan soldiers and civilians.
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