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From: aouriri@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP (Chedley Aouriri)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Reagan gets "tough" with Libya
Message-ID: <570@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 12-Jan-86 01:16:07 EST
Article-I.D.: ittvax.570
Posted: Sun Jan 12 01:16:07 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jan-86 00:43:06 EST
References: <673@cylixd.UUCP>
Organization: ITT-ATC, Shelton Ct.
Lines: 41

> Personally, I can't think of anything 
> truly meaningful he could do to stop Quadhafi's antics, short of a
> declaration of war and blowing Libya off the map; but that could
> have most undesirable repercussions. Maybe if we repealed the law 
> forbidding covert assasination plots?Or perhaps made an exception this
> one time? :-)
> 
> Dave Kirby    ( ...!ihnp4!akgub!cylixd!dave)

The trouble is that COVERT actions against Libya are not covert
any more; they are OVERT and therefore miss their covert target.
A couple months ago, the Washington Post published on front 
page a story announcing that Congress approved a covert-action
program against Libya.

The recent terrorist events provided a nice excuse to set off
the on-going shouting match between Reagan and Khaddafy, and
to hype up the public opinion against Libya.
AND THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANTI TERRORISM. The US just wants
to settle an old score with a radical arab leader.
After all, if the US is really serious about doing the job for
the israelis by attacking countries who help anti-israeli
terrorists, at least a half dozen countries should be attacked.
Among them, Syria, Irak, Lebanon, Iran, Bulgaria,....

The european countries have a more level headed reaction.
Italy and Austria ,where the recent actions took place, and
other european countries recognize that the objective of the
palestinian's actions was Israel's airline company.
That these palestinians may be helped by Libya or other countries
does not change the fact that they were after Israel, not the US or
Europe.

The bottom line : 
Terrorism is only a symptom, not the cause of the Middle-East
problem.
However, it seems handy in providing pretexts to settle international
scores among countries.  

Chedley Aouriri
ITT-ATC, Shelton, CT.