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i find the un to be procedurally cumbersome and dislike the security council on principle. but i think that it's important as an institution even with it's problems/limitations because it provides an institutional framework (amongst a few others) to thinking what a more function kind of transnational institution/regulatory system might look like. that's on a normative kinda level (which may explain the abstract sentences...i dunno...i'm in the middle of doing something else, too, which also might explain them)
insofar as this situation in libya is concerned---and it's developing very quickly, escalating very quickly in terms of western involvement (i'll drop the scare quotes now...they're implicit every time)---the delay in passing a resolution to authorize was not the result of any procedural issue---it was particular actors within the security council that had reservations about whether there should be an action at all--and there were debates within those governments about it--and gadhadi knew they were happening and tried to exterminate the rebels before there was a chance to resolve those debates and act. it's really quite hard to say what the situation is in all sectors of libya at the moment so its impossible to know the extent to which he succeeded...but he was on the edges of benghazi overnight and that seems to be where the initial air strikes and cruise missle activity is centered (i could well be wrong on this as the reports i've heard are very preliminary)...
so to go back to the place we actually do agree---the action was close to being too late and things are still uncertain as to situation not to mention outcome(s).....but like i say, things appear to be changing very quickly. surprisingly so. my more cynical side would have likely been running closer to your position had you not blamed the un as such for the delay---i was thinking it might take longer to get organized. but apparently afghanistan was good for something, if not for the people of afghanistan...
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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