log man said...
Pathetic attempt to bad mouth the UN. Here's a little list, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_peacekeeping_missions. I love the way right wingers have a go at the U.N for being a communist plot or something. And if it is SO WHAT, I didn't see the Liberal Party, the BRW rich list, Twiggy Forrest, or the right wing media rushing off to East Timor to make a Peace keeping force.
Huh?
Don't bring East Timor into the argument if you are pro ALP. All ALP leaders from Whitlam to Keating supported Suharto and his army's occupation of East Timor. I'm no fan of John Howard but at least he committed Australian troops to help East Timor when the people there had enough and revolted against the Indonesians. The Australian intervention in East Timor fits into the idea of being friendly with all nations but never getting involved in alliances or foreign wars. The East Timorese were never Indonesian and never wanted to be part of Indonesia. They were conquered, occupied, persecuted, murdered and suffered genocide from a foreign army. All under the apparent blessing of Keating, Hawke and Whitlam. I don't know what Rudd's view was on East Timor was during this time but based on how he has conducted himself while in government he probably would been in the conga line ready to lick Suharto's arse along with his murderous cronies.
Anyway the issue in this thread is Rudd and his desire for military intervention in Libya. Going by the way its going there, NATO's intervention at best has prevented the slaughter of Ghaddafi's enemies. At worst the intervention is prolonging a civil war.
The evidence is Ghaddafi promised death to those who take up arms against him. He said those who stay in their homes will not be punished. In those towns and cities that have been in rebel hands there have been no massacres or dragging out opponents to shoot them in the streets.
Clearly this intervention is a load of bullcrap. At least Rudd is shutting up about it now. Maybe the federal ALP caucus should just give him the top job again so he doesn't keep making a fool of himself on the international stage anymore.
