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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
But, ace, answering your yes-or-no questions is pointless because they aren't necessarily in relation to my initial point.
It would seem to me that you'd rather have let Gaddafi slaughter his own people than risk the risks that are currently being risked.
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How many times do I need to present the point that the no fly zone will not stop Kadafi from slaughtering his own people. If the goal is to stop Kadafi from slaughtering people, given the circumstances, he has to be removed from power. Anything less than that and people who are vocal or have rebelled against Kadafi will be killed one way or another.
Imagine it this way, you see a drowning person. Immediately you can make a decision with the objective to A) Save the person or B) Throw the person a flotation device. In option A it is clear that you will dive in if necessary, call for additional help, pull the person to shore, administer CPR until help arrives or until the person becomes functional, etc, etc. However, if your objective is to throw the person a flotation device, you throw it, but if it is clear that option B is inadequate what was the point? Personally, I could not simply throw a rope, and walk away - if I am confronted by the situation described, I am all in! I won't walk away. I will do everything in my power to save the life, everything! The thought of throwing a rope and walking away is beyond my understanding.
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For the record, I'd rather have had some kind of intervention in Rwanda than was the case. I'd rather have had some kind of intervention to prevent a death toll climbing to 500,000 to 1,000,000 (or 800,000, depending on your sources), or 20% of the country's population.
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What about Ahmadinejad saying his goal was to wipe Israel off the face of the map? Is that any less real than kadafi threat against his own people?
Where do you draw the line between perceived threats and taking proactive humanitarian action compared to what may be hyperbole?
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What would you rather have done in Libya? Let Gaddafi burn it out? With upwards of 1.3 million Libyans if that's what it took? You'd rather those lives get burned out and have the "war" over with rather than prolong it? The war in Somalia is still raging on 20 years later. Maybe we should stop meddling in it and prolonging that, eh?
So another Afghanistan? Rather than another Bosnia...or Kosovo?
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I have clearly said what I would do. If the cause is worthy, I am all in. As soon as I use the military, I commit to finishing the job and I do it as soon as possible.