Libya

[Gatt]

The USA has a serious problem with their electorate at the moment - they don't want to see any more US lives being lost in what many see as wars which they shouldn't be involved in. So, the USA basically wants to set things going, then leave it to us.

Shades of WW2 - until someone attacked them...

[Gatt]

Funny how this starts just as we start complaining about the price of petrol again...

[JJonas]

On the subject of WW2 the weekends bombing missions were the first to be launched from Britain since WW2.

[joe90bass]

On the subject of WW2 the weekends bombing missions were the first to be launched from Britain since WW2.

Since the Falklands?

Great book details the mission

[srochford]

Personally, I think this is a very justified mission - protecting civilians from a despot who is trying to wipe out anyone who questions him is precisely what the UN is for. He has lied about ceasefires at least once, and possibly twice now, so military force is necessary to prevent him carrying on.

So on that basis, would the invasion of Iraq been OK if we hadn't said anything about WMD but had simply said we're trying to stop a dictator from killing his own people? Why didn't the UN take more action against Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe?

[somabc]

The UN had a no fly zone over Iraq for 12 years to protect the Iraqi people, for all the good it did.

[Gatt]

Reports coming in that David Cameron has just sent the following email to Gaddafi

all-your-base-demotivational-poster.jpg

[aerospacemango]

Since the Falklands?

Great book details the mission

Absolutely....Excellent read.

Have some rep, Joe!

[Robz]

Gadaffi has announced he fully intends to implement a ceasefire.......as soon as he runs out of people to fire at.

[TechMonkey]

Personally, yes. Having heard some of the stories of what was happening there and the joy of some locals when it happened I still think it was the right thing to do. How it was done on the other hand is a completely different matter.

[TechMonkey]

Since the Falklands?

Great book details the mission

Yep, a great mix of hurrah for the can do attitude & WTF at some of the bodging bits.

[glennda]

it must have been a huge rock you've been hiding under!

was it ayers rock by any chance? thats quite big

[Gatt]

Maybe it was Edinburgh Rock?

[teejay]

So on that basis, would the invasion of Iraq been OK if we hadn't said anything about WMD but had simply said we're trying to stop a dictator from killing his own people? Why didn't the UN take more action against Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe?

There was no support from other African countries to do this in Zimbabwe, with our colonial background in Africa it would've caused all sort of other problems if we'd intervened, plus we wouldn't have got an UN resolution due to Zimbabwe's links with China.
With Libya there is support of the Arab League, including military support.

[joe90bass]

Yep, a great mix of hurrah for the can do attitude & WTF at some of the bodging bits.

Indeed! I seem to recall there were some close calls with the refuelling
@aerospace -cheers!