Our Intervention in Libya is Misguided

I am publishing this in a blog for two reasons: to document the date on which I am willing to say that I believe our quick intervention in Libya is misguided, and to show that I am willing to state this publicly.

While I am no expert in North African politics, and can propose no simple solution or alternative to our intervention (enforcement of a no-fly zone) in Libya, I have read enough history and news to propose that a different approach would have been more appropriate than our current course of action.

Mainly, I intend to forward the idea that we were misguided in pursuing military action in Libya with such quick speed. I believe that, in the future, we will be motivated to look back on this moment and reconsider our speedy course of action.

We feel justified in our mission because an intervention in Libya is different than our invasion of Iraq.

While this statement is certainly true, one can easily recognize that many factors that have led to the present-day situation in Iraq are present in Libya. These include:

1) We do not have a clear, feasible plan for a post-Qaddafi Libya, as we clearly didn’t have a well thought-out plan for the future of Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

2) We do not understand the realities of Libya. America and her western allies have shown that we have only a limited comprehension a society divided along religious or clan lines (see our efforts to establish liberal democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan). Libya has many more partitions than we can begin to fully grasp, and history has proven that a lack of understanding of any foreign land leads to folly in war.

We feel justified in our mission because of broad international support.

President Obama recently suggested that our intervention is justified because it was solicited by the Arab League’s call for the UN to impose a no-fly zone on Libya and legalized by the UN Resolution 1973.

Both of these points represent important differences between our most recent military intervention and previous actions. However:

1) The Arab League has always had a strained relationship with Qaddafi, to say the least, and I believe they would not call for the same actions against other authoritarian, equally repressive regimes in countries which are more influential in their alliance. We cannot trust the moral authority of bodies that would call for the destruction of one regime while support others that are similarly indefensible.

2) Other nations that were involved in the vote on the UN Resolution 1973 have interests besides those of the Libyan people. Our tendency is to trust that decisions made by a large number of countries have moral authority and the best interests of humanity at their core. However, other nations’ decision-making processes are affected by economic and geopolitical interests just as much as those of the United States. Decisions made by international bodies should not be accepted without thorough consideration of those interests.

Our rapid entrance into this conflict was necessitated by the imminent loss of human life.

Quick intervention was needed to prevent the slaughter of countless Libyan civilians. It is clear that Qaddafi was focused on suppressing a widespread rebellion by whatever means necessary. However:

1) No one can quantify the amount of life that would have been lost had the UN not acted. Nor can we quantify the amount of human life that will be lost as a result of the war between Qaddafi and rebel forces, which will surely be augmented by the fact that the dictator has been left only with the option to fight until the ‘bitter end’. Qaddafi has shown that he is motivated by an aggrandized vision of himself, and has used the image of himself fighting anti-Libyan forces as a means to maintain popularity. Western intervention provides him the opportunity to further that image and force his more zealous supporters to fight with abandon.

2) The enforcement of a no-fly zone may be insufficient to enable the rebel forces take control of Libya. A protracted stalemate between the two sides would require further action by the UN or its members, and few are willing to do so.

Morocco

This post is very late - I actually went to Morocco in late April. Nevertheless, I still think the trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I went with three friends from the program - Megan, Dan, and Josh (from left to right).

It was a mammoth trip. We decided to go to Fes, which is the best-preserved city from the Middle Ages. To me, this seems true - the city really seems like it hasn't been improved since the Middle Ages. At one point in history (supposedly), it was the biggest city on Earth. Aside from that, it is known for being the home of the hats which bear the same name.

To get there, we first flew to Malaga, which is on the southern coast of Spain. Then, we had to take a two hour bus ride to Algeciras, where we could catch a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar. The ship landed in Tangiers, which is a six hour train ride away from Fes.

This was the first time I had been in a third-world country, and every minute I was there was eye-opening. There is very little tourism, which made us stick out even worse.

The people of Fes are really interesting. Street smarts are a way of life - we had ten-year-olds trying to take advantage of us, using their smooth-talk to convince us to let them guide us somewhere. People were generally warm and inviting. They wanted our money, but many just wanted us to feel welcome. For example, Josh arrived a day late. When we asked him if he needed food, he told us that he had already had dinner with a Moroccan family he met on the train.

Dan, Megan and I also met a man on the ferry who helped us find a taxi, food, and then the right train in Tangiers. Trusting him was probably not the safest idea, but I've found that trusting people can lead to some wonderful relationships. We had a really good time talking to him about Morocco at dinner and later on the train. Here's a picture of Dan and Megan with Bouchaib Dahib, who taught us the most important Arabic phrases and some very important things about surviving in Morocco:

One thing that amazed me was that, despite the poor education level of the country and the poverty, everyone knew at least three languages, usually being able to dabble in a fourth or fifth. Arabic and French are musts, and people usually also knew Spanish, German, or English. In a really awesome conversation with a man that worked at our hostel, he told us that the prophet Mohammed instructs Muslims to learn languages, because being able to communicate is the first step to loving someone. I've rarely heard such true words, which also gave my study abroad experience so much meaning.

Fes is also famous for its tanneries, where leather is scraped and dyed. We went to see the largest tannery in Morocco, and the smell was terrible. Here's a picture from a nearby balcony; those tubs are pools of dye which in which the workers push the skins with their feet:

The city is centered around a large market, called the Medina. We stayed in a hostel near the main gate. We spent most of our time in Fes wandering around the market, in which is absolutely impossible to not get lost. In the market, I saw mules actually being used as pack animals, huge buckets of live snails for sale by the kilogram, and chickens being killed to take home for dinner.

I learned a lot about people on this trip. We spoke with many locals, and everyone was sad to hear we were scared to tell people we were Americans. I got a lot of real-world proof that the great majority of Muslims are loving, nonviolent people. Most everyone we talked to did not care about politics, but rather the people they were able to interact with.

I will never forget my time in Morocco, though it was brief. It really seems two worlds away, though the people are in many ways similar to everyone else in the world.

French road trip.

This past weekend, I went on a road trip with David and Sheila (my Spanish friends). We started on Friday, driving ELEVEN hours to Poitiers. Poitiers is historically very important because the Moorish invasion of Europe was turned back there many centuries ago. The three of us went to see Futuroscope, the theme park of the future....

Basically, it consisted of many 3D movies, some with moving chairs that thrash their occupants. It was a fun park to see, though I don't think I'll ever make the trip back.

After leaving Futuroscope, we decided to split up the drive home between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Due to our budget, we ended up driving around Southern France until 3 AM looking for a cheap motel with space for us. Needless to say, it wasn't the most fun thing I've ever done.

On Sunday, we stopped by Carcossonne, a smaller French city close to the border with Spain. It has a magnificent castle:
Inside the castle walls is a small city. Seeing it made the trip worthwhile - it's a beautiful place.

Semana Santa

Semana Santa just came to an end, and so did my ten wonderful days of vacation. For the first six days, my family came for a great visit. We took it easy, but still got in plenty of sightseeing and hit a couple spots that I haven't been yet.

I actually entered Sagrada Familia for the first time, and it was quite amazing. It was designed principally by Gaudi, who is the cock-of-the-walk as far as architects go - I mentioned him in my entry about Parc Guell. He had a style that's completely his own - no one can replicate it. The Sagrada Familia, a cathedral, was started at the turn of the 20th century and is still being worked on today (due to funding problems, it still has a ways to go).

Here's a picture of the Nativity facade:
This side was completed first, and really shows Gaudi's brilliance. Everything square inch is covered with detail.

We also ventured up into the towers, which is really neat because narrow walkways way up in the steeples.

We also went to La Pedrera, which is an apartment building Gaudi built that has really neat structure - the outside surfaces are wavy. And not just the sides - the roof has tons of curves too. Here's a picture:
Those aren't scultures - the small columns are chimneys, and the large towers allow access to the stairwells.

Other than that, we made it to a couple of parks, though our inability to find trams ('funiculars') made it difficult to see everything we wanted. We also stopped by the Joan Miro foundation. Here's one of his greatest works:It's called "Two Forces" and explores the interplay between sensibility and chaos. Cool huh?

Actually, it's called, "Something Matt Made in Thirty Seconds." I hate to mock someone's art, but look at a real Miro (below) and tell me I couldn't have my own foundation:
Sure, there is a lot of creativity behind it, and it was very innovative art when he did it. However, the whole building was filled with paintings very much like this, and it would take several doctorates to begin to appreciate any of it.

Other than that, we hit the Picasso museum (my second time), saw some other typical famous places, and played a lot of cards.

Life

It's been a while since I have posted, and nothing incredibly extraordinary has happened since my last entry. Life has descended into a wonderfully calm, simple routine. Most days I spend at least a little time at the beach.

Ann Marie visited for a week and we had a wonderful time together. We saw some tourist attractions that I've been saving for visitors - the Picasso Museum and the Cathedral, for example.

Midterms have come and gone. I actually prepared more than a day ahead of time, and saw some pretty good results (who knew?!). I have 3 final exams, which don't concern me that much because two of the professors will choose the higher grade (between the midterm and the final) and the third will only test me over the second half of the course because I did well on his midterm. Besides that, I've got two papers to complete before final exams.

Possibilities for travel have started coming up. My friends and I are considering going to Morocco during the end of April, and then I will be going to Germany to visit friends studying there the last week I'm in Europe.

My Spanish, while not as good as I had imagined it would be, is still getting better. I can put complex sentences together fairly easily, using (what I think are) the right verb tenses. Here's one impressive example (translated) that shows just how much I've been applying everything I learned in the classroom:

"Robi - last night Chester ran into my room and was making a strange noise. I have heard it before, so I just thought it was another hairball [yes, I know how to say 'hairball' now]. But, it wasn't. The cat vomited twice on my floor."

More globalization.

On Friday, my friends and I were at a bar we like where you basically have to sit with larger groups of people you don't know to get seats. I ended up sitting at a table with a group that had members from India, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, Haiti, and Morroco. I had a great conversation with the Morrocan guy (who spoke five languages - Arabic, German, French, English, and Spanish) and found out that his group of friends had just met because they all went to the bar frequently.

Later, at an all-night diner, we met a Peruvian music group, dressed in traditional garb. Such is Spain.

Sitges

Last Tuesday was Fat Tuesday, which meant it was also the last Tuesday of Carnaval, which is a celebration before Lent. I had not done anything fun for Carnaval, and decided to go to a nearby beach town called Sitges [seet-jes] with my friends to celebrate.

From the start, everything was crazy. The train station here in Barcelona was so packed that they decided to just open the doors and let everyone on the train for free:
Sitges was absolutely nuts. The streets were so full of people, our group had to cling to each other to not get separated. There were tons of parades with floats filled with dancers, and a giant party in the center of town. Most everyone was dressed up (except us). The costumes were also crazy; men were wearing women's clothing and vice versa.

After fighting through huge crowds at the train station, we made it home on the first train of the morning. It was a great trip, but I'd probably like to see Sitges when it's not jam-packed with transvestites.

Thoughts

I had a very productive dialogue with the Matt's Barcelona Blog Board - they gave me some great critical feedback, and suggested that I write more about differences between Spain and the US, as well other topics that weren't necessarily places I've been.

One difference is that the President of Spain isn't nuts. In fact, Zapatero is great. His first action in office was to pull troops out of Iraq. He's a socialist, and believes that there's a democratic solution to pretty much any problem. For example, he offered to open talks with the separatist Basque terrorist group, ETA. In return, they've declared a partial truce and promised to not attack political targets. Apparently, there are other ways to deal with terrorists besides bombing them and everyone nearby into oblivion.

Another difference is presence of national pride within the individual states of Spain. Barcelona is in Catalunya, which many Catalunyans consider to be a separate country (of sorts). A good example of this is the use of Catalan - a language that sort of sounds like Spanish and French combined. People use it in homes, especially, and they insist that every child learn Catalan in school (even though it is spoken in no other place on the planet).

There is a huge Catalunyan autonomy movement going on here - thankfully it's completely peaceful, unlike the separatist movement in the Basque country. Zapatero has offered that, if 90% of the parliament votes for it, he would let the state keep more of its own taxes, etc.

Spain has some interesting contradictions. 1) Despite the liberal, progressive thoughts of most people I talk to, there is still a lot of racism. North African immigrants have been coming here illegaly in waves that is causing a lot of resentment. Ironically, I imagine the North Africans resented it when Europeans invaded their countries during the colonial era. The same is true for South Americans - I've spoken with a lot of people about Mexicans in America, and pretty much everyone says something like, "Those people are lazy."

2) I sat and gossiped the other day with Robi, her sister, and her niece. We started talking about the Church, and I was surprised to hear about their brand of religion. Instead of devout Catholics, the three of them think the Church is too political and that spirituality should be individual - something I didn't expect from three Spanish women with an average age of 50. However, both Robi and her sister have candles burning constantly in front of little figurines of the Virgin Mary. I guess the rituals of the Catholic life stick with people a long time after they stop going to church.

Rupit [roo-PEET]

At first, Spaniards gave me a bad impression because strangers can be pretty rude to each other. No one gives each other friendly nods on the street - a disgusted glare is more common. However, I've realized that they're incredibly warm and open after a quick conversation, or because of the slightest relation.

For example, all of Robi's relatives have been exremely kind - every time I meet someone, they end the visit sincerely wishing me a good stay in Spain, and telling me that I can come to them for help if I ever need it.

Recently, after talking with a Spanish couple for no more than fifteen minutes, we exchanged phone numbers in order to meet and practice our languages. A day later, they (David and Sheila) invited me and a friend on a day trip to nearby Vic to visit the market there.

*David has group photos from the trip; I'll insert one here once I get it from him.

The four of us, along with two others, left around 9:00 AM so we could still have plenty of time to spend there after the hour and a half drive. At Vic, we were told there was no market that day, and so we proceed to Rupit, which is another nearby town that is a perfect example of an old, quaint Spanish town.

This picture, like most of mine, is a poor representation of something incredibly beautiful:
We then went looking for a 'nearby' lake to have a picnic - "Pantano de Sau" [Sau Swamp] is a reservoir that was made despite the fact that there was a town in the valley - Sau. We spent about an hour in the car, with David pulling up beside every hiker and asking for directions. Driving through the countryside, probably lost and definitely hungry, is a lot easier when the countryside looks like this:
We eventually gave up and set up the picnic next to a cow pasture... We didn't pack utensils, which mattered little to most of us. JuanJor, however, had bought a sausage in Rupit that he wanted to cut to make his bocadillo [sandwich]. He dug around in the trunk of his car, and this was the best option he came up with:That's a hacksaw, and he didn't just joke about using it. He cut his tomatoes with it too.
Here is the Pantano de Sau - that is the church steeple sticking up above the water. David told me that, during the summer, more of the town is above water, which is neat to see, but also means that there's a bad water shortage...

All in all, the day was wonderful. I would really like to see a lot of Spain while I'm here, and having local friends that know the best places is a huge plus.