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From: dml@bu-cs.UUCP (David Matthew Lyle)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Air raid on Libya
Message-ID: <500@bu-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 27-Apr-86 12:05:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.500
Posted: Sun Apr 27 12:05:29 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 2-May-86 22:36:34 EDT
References: <470@bu-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: dml@bu-cs.UUCP (David Matthew Lyle)
Followup-To: net.followup
Distribution: net
Organization: Boston University -- Boston Massachusetts, USA
Lines: 79

[With all due respect Barry......     (c) sam@bu-cs 1986]


In article <470@bu-cs.UUCP> bzs@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein) writes:
|
|Over and over again people in favor of the air raid keep saying "What
|else could we have done?", no matter how many times they are told, oh
|well, they'll probably ignore this one also:
|
|DEFUSE THE PALESTINIAN SITUATION BY CONSTRUCTIVE ACTION

Yes, I agree that would be the best thing, but.....

|That is, get the PLO, Israel, Jordan and whoever else is appropriate
|to the bargaining table and just settle it. The US could offer to
|foot at least part of the resultant bill for putting the plan in
|action (why? why not, it's either that or replacing those F-111s
|and bombs etc we are using, not to mention the implicit cost of
|terrorism, either way it will cost the US plenty.) I am not saying
|that we should bear all the cost, but if they can bargain it down
|to a purchase order, sign it.

If I recall, the King of Jordan tried to do just that.  He failed,
through the efforts of countries such a Syria and Libya.  He even
had the `blessings' of the US and receptiveness in Israel.  The 
PLO has long refused to recognize or negotiate with Isreal (until
recently), but now the PLO has become a very fragmented group.
And face it, there are powers in that area that don't want to settle
it!!  They just want their `Holy War'.

|Easy to say? Maybe, but it sure hasn't been tried with any sincerity.

I think that the King of Jordan was quite sincer.  His Arab brethren
opposed his efforts.

|Now this isn't the only gripe Khaddaffi and his ilk have in the Middle
|East, but it is their battle cry, defuse it, for those of you who
|like revenge I assure you the US going in and resolving this in a
|positive way will make Khaddaffi 10X more furious than a few bombs,
|it will steal his thunder and quite possibly put the US in a positive
|light in the area if handled well.

This I can aggree with.  It would certainly take a lot of the hot
air out of Khaddaffi's balloon.  

|It is not at all clear that the bombing had any good effect, quite
|probably the opposite. Now we have re-assured any doubters in the
|area that the US gives and the world takes, people don't seem to
|understand that the Arab world really resents US intervention, hopefully
|though they would tolerate us acting as a mediator rather than dictator
|(in the generic sense of the word) in the area.
|
|Ok? Not so unreasonable. Please, don't immediately assume that throwing
|a few bombs at a Libyan airport accomplishes anything or is somehow
|justified, it may very well not be of any use. Without immediately
|yielding to your anger (Nuke Em!) think a little, be clever, state a
|goal (ending the terrorism) and go for it in a clever way, don't
|just satisfy your bloodlust (cutting off your nose to spite your face.) 

Why don't you list some of the "clever" options that the United States
had to use with Khaddaffi??  There were not many things to do economically.
We were getting little assistance from our European Allies.  Khaddaffi
had even gone to the length of attacking United States Navy aircraft
in International airspace (only one small African country recognizes
Khaddaffi's claims to the Gulf of Sidra).

|If you think it's only the 'liberals' who opposed the bombing, note
|that Cap Weinberger also opposed it, it's not that kind of issue, he
|also apparently could not see what good it would do as proposed but
|apparently Schultz won out. Of course, once the decision was made he
|would support his president. 
|
|
|	-Barry Shein, Boston University


David Matthew Lyle
Boston University
dml@bu-cs