Part I of a Two Part Article.

Part II. "Operation Libya" and the Battle for Oil

The US and NATO are supporting an armed insurrection in Eastern Libya, with a

view to justifying a "humanitarian intervention".

This is not a non-violent protest movement as in Egypt and Tunisia. Conditions

in Libya are fundamentally different. The armed insurgency in Eastern Libya is

directly supported by foreign powers. The insurrection in Benghazi immediately

hoisted the red, black and green banner with the crescent and star: the flag of

the monarchy of King Idris, which symbolized the rule of the former colonial powers.

(See  Manlio Dinucci, Libya-When historical memory is erased, Global Research,

Febraury 28, 2011)

US and NATO military advisers and special forces are already on the ground. The

operation was planned to coincide with the protest movement in neighbouring

Arab countries. Public opinion was led to believe that the protest movement had

spread spontaneously from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya. 



The Obama administration in consultation with its allies is assisting an armed rebellion,

namely an attempted coup d'Etat: "The Obama administration stands ready to offer

"any type of assistance" to Libyans seeking to oust Moammar Gadhafi, Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton [February 27]  "we've been reaching out to many different Libyans

who are attempting to organize in the east and as the revolution moves westward

there as well," Clinton said. "I think it's way too soon to tell how this is going to play out,

but we're going to be ready and prepared to offer any kind of assistance that anyone

wishes to have from the United States." Efforts are under way to form a provisional

government in the eastern part of the country where the rebellion began at midmonth.

The U.S., Clinton said, is threatening more measures against Gadhafi's

government, but did not say what they were or when they might be

announced.

The U.S. should "recognize some provisional government that they are

trying to set already up..." [McCain]

Lieberman spoke in similar terms, urging "tangible support, (a) no-fly

zone, recognition of the revolutionary government, the citizens'

government and support for them with both humanitarian assistance

and I would provide them with arms."

(Clinton: US ready to aid to Libyan opposition - Associated, Press,

February 27, 2011, emphasis added)

The Planned Invasion

A military intervention is now contemplated by US NATO forces under a

"humanitarian mandate".

--"The United States is moving naval and air forces in the region"

to "prepare the full range of options" in the confrontation with

Libya: Pentagon spokesperson Col. Dave Lapan of the Marines

made this announcement [March 1]. He then said that "It was

President Obama who asked the military to prepare for these

options," because the situation in Libya is getting worse."

( Manlio Dinucci, Preparing for "Operation Libya": The Pentagon is

"Repositioning" its Naval and Air Forces..., Global Research, March 3,

2011, emphasis added)

The real objective of "Operation Libya" is not to establish democracy but to

take possession of Libya's oil reserves, destabilize the National Oil

Corporation (NOC) and eventually privatize the country's oil industry,

namely transfer the control and ownership of Libya's oil wealth into foreign

hands. The National

Oil Corporation (NOC) is ranked 25 among the world’s Top 100 Oil Companies.

(The Energy Intelligence ranks NOC 25 among the world’s Top 100 companies.

- Libyaonline.com)

Libya is among the World's largest oil economies with approximately 3.5% of

global oil reserves, more than twice those of the US. (for further details see

Part II of this article, "Operation Libya" and the Battle for Oil)

The planned invasion of Libya, which is already underway is part of the broader

"Battle for Oil".  Close to 80 percent of Libya’s oil reserves are located in the

Sirte Gulf basin of Eastern Libya. (See map below)

The strategic assumptions behind "Operation Libya" are reminiscent of previous

US-NATO military undertakings in Yugoslavia and Iraq. In Yugoslavia, US-NATO

forces triggered a civil war. The objective was to create political and ethnic

divisions, which eventually led to the break up of an entire country. This objective

was achieved through the covert funding and training of armed paramilitary armies,

first in Bosnia (Bosnian Muslim Army, 1991-95) and subsequently in Kosovo

(Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), 1998-1999). In both Kosovo and Bosnia, media

disinformation (including outright lies and fabrications) were used to support US-EU

claims that the Belgrade government had committed atrocities, thereby justifying a

military intervention on humanitarian grounds.

Ironically, "Operation Yugoslavia" is now on the lips of US foreign policy makers:

Senator Lieberman has

"likened the situation in Libya to the events in the Balkans in the 1990s when he

said the U.S. "intervened to stop a genocide against Bosnians. And the first we

did was to provide them the arms to defend themselves. That's what I think we

ought to do in Libya." (Clinton: US ready to aid to Libyan opposition - Associated,

Press, February 27, 2011, emphasis added The strategic scenario would be to push

towards the formation and recognition of an interim government

of the secessionist province, with a view to eventually breaking up the country.

This option is already underway. The invasion of Libya has already commenced.

"Hundreds of US, British and French military advisers have arrived in Cyrenaica,

Libya's eastern breakaway province,... The advisers, including intelligence

officers, were dropped from warships and missile boats at the coastal towns

of Benghazi and Tobruk" (DEBKAfile, US military advisers in Cyrenaica, February

25, 2011)

US and allied special forces are on the ground in Eastern Libya, providing covert support

to the rebels  This was recognized when British SAS Special Forces commandos were

arrested in the Benghazi region. They were acting as military advisers to opposition forces:

 " Eight British special forces commandos, on a secret mission to put British diplomats

in touch with leading opponents of Col Muammar Gadaffi in Libya, ended in humiliation

after they were held by rebel forces in eastern Libya, The Sunday Times reported today.

The men, armed but in plain clothes, claimed they were there to check the opposition's

needs and offer help." (Top UK commandos captured by rebel forces in Libya: Report,

Indian Express, March 6, 2011, emphasis added)

 

The SAS forces were arrested while escorting a British "diplomatic mission" which entered the

country illegally (no doubt from a British warship) for discussions with leaders of the rebellion.

The British foreign office has acknowledged that "a small British diplomatic team  [had been]

sent to eastern Libya to initiate contacts with the rebel-backed opposition".  

U.K. diplomatic team leaves Libya - World - CBC News, March 6, 2011).

Ironically, the reports not only confirm Western military intervention (including several hundred

special forces), they also acknowledge that the rebellion was firmly opposed to the illegal

presence of foreign troops on Libyan soil:

"The SAS's intervention angered Libyan opposition figures who ordered the soldiers

to be locked up on a military base. Gadaffi's opponents fear he could use any evidence

of western military interference to rally patriotic support for his regime."

(Reuters, March 6, 2011)

 "The big offensive pro-Qaddafi forces launched [March 4]  to wrest from rebel hands

control of Libya's most important towns and oil centers resulted [March 5] in the

recapture of the key town of Zawiya and most of the oil towns around the Gulf of

Sirte. In Washington and London, talk of military intervention on the side of the

Libyan opposition was muted by the realization that field intelligence on both sides

of the Libyan conflict was too sketchy to serve as a basis for decision-making."

(Debkafile, Qaddafi pushes rebels back. Obama names Libya intel panel, March 5,

2011, emphasis added)

The opposition movement is firmly divided regarding the issue of foreign intervention.

The division is between the grassroots movement on the one hand and the US supported

"leaders" of the armed insurrection who favor foreign military intervention on "humanitarian

grounds". The majority of the Libyan population, both the supporters and opponents of the

regime, are firmly opposed to any form of outside intervention.

Media Disinformation

The broad strategic objectives underlying the proposed invasion are not mentioned by the

media. Following a deceitful media campaign, where news was literally fabricated without

reporting on what was actually happening on the ground, a large sector of international

public opinion has granted its unbending support to foreign intervention, on humanitarian

grounds.

The invasion is on the Pentagon's drawing board. It is slated to be carried out irrespective

of the demands of the people of Libya including the opponents of the regime, who have

voiced their aversion to foreign military intervention in derogation of the nation's

sovereignty.

Naval and Air Force Deployment

Were this military intervention to be carried out it would result in an all out war, a blitzkrieg,

implying the bombing of military as well as civilian targets.

In this regard, General James Mattis, Commander of U.S. Central Command, (USCENTCOM),

has intimated that the establishment of a "no fly zone" would de facto involve an all out

bombing campaign, targeting inter alia Libya's air defense system:

‘It would be a military operation – it wouldn’t be just telling people not to fly airplanes.

'You would have to remove air defence capability in order to establish a no-fly zone,

so no illusions here.' (U.S. general warns no-fly zone could lead to all-out war in Libya,

Mail Online, March 5, 2011, emphasis added).

A massive US and allied naval power has been deployed along the Libyan coastline.

The Pentagon is moving its warships to the Mediterranean. Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise had

 transited through the Suez Canal within a few days following the insurrection.

 ( http://www.enterprise.navy.mil ) U.S. amphibious warships, USS Ponce and USS Kearsarge,

have also been deployed in the Mediterranean. 

USS Enterprise transits the Suez Canal in Egypt, February 15, 2011, handout photo, U.S. N

400 US Marines have been dispatched to the Greek Island of Crete "ahead of their deployment

on warships off Libya" ( "Operation Libya": US Marines on Crete for Libyan deployment, times of Malta, March 3,

2011).

Meanwhile Germany, France, Britain, Canada and Italy are in the process of deploying war vessels along the

Libyan coast. 

Germany has deployed three war ships using the pretext of assisting in the evacuation of refugees on the

Libya-Tunisia border. "France has decided to send the Mistral, its helicopter-carrier, which, according to the

Defense Ministry will contribute to evacuation of thousands of Egyptians."

(Towards the Coasts of Libya: US, French and British Warships Enter the Mediterranean, Agenzia

Giornalistica Italia, March 3, 2011) Canada has dispatch (March 2) Navy Frigate HMCS Charlottetown. 

Meanwhile, US 17th Air Force, named US Air Force Africa based at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany is

assisting in evacuation of refugees. US-NATO air force facilities in Britain, Italy, France and the Middle

East are on standby. 

Part II "Operation Libya" and the Battle for Oil