Have we really gone back to the shores of Tripoli?
From the Halls of Montezuma, To the shores of Tripoli; We fight our country’s battles In the air, on land, and sea; First to fight for right and freedom And to keep our honor clean: We are proud to claim the title Of United States Marine. Our flag’s unfurled to every breeze From dawn to setting sun; We have fought in every clime and place Where we could take a gun; In the snow of far-off Northern lands And in sunny tropic scenes; You will find us always on the job The United States Marines. Here’s health to you and to our Corps Which we are proud to serve; In many a strife we’ve fought for life And never lost our nerve; If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven’s scenes; They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines. ~ Author Unknown ~While the Army, Navy, and Air Force all have official songs, the Marines have a hymn. The opening lyrics to the Marine Hymn reference the Battle of Chapultepec, Mexico, and the First Barbary War, fought between 1801and 1805.
The Barbary Coast is home to Algeria, Morocco, Tunis, and Tripoli, capitol of present day Libya. Two hundred years ago, the rulers of the Barbary Coast made a very good living as pirates. Much like present day Somalian pirates, they would board ships and take the crew hostage, forcing them into slavery, until a ransom was paid. In order to avoid this fate, many countries paid an annual tribute, so that their ships could sail through the Mediterranean undisturbed.
Initially, the American Colonies were sheltered from the Barbary Coast pirates by England; during the Revolutionary War, France provided American ships with protection. Once the war was finished, the newly birthed United States was forced to address the Barbary leaders, appointing John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to broker safe passage for American ships.
In 1784, Congress agreed to pay the Barbary leaders $80,000 in tribute. Unfortunately, within a year, American ships were captured by Algeria, which demanded a ransom. Thomas Jefferson was a strong, vocal opponent of the payment of ransom, insisting that the more one succumbed to such demands, the more the pirates would demand. In 1801, Jefferson was elected President of the United States, and finally had the power to act according to his convictions. He refused to make further payments of tribute, and the Pasha of Tripoli promptly declared war on the United States.
With American lives at stake, and our ability to conduct business in peril, we went to war – landing on the shores of Tripoli. Two hundred years later, America seems to once more be at war in Tripoli. Today, Americans are not being threatened by Libya, and neither are American business interest, yet we appear to be at war – why?
President Obama was supposed to end American involvement in foreign wars, especially in the Middle East. During the 2008 election, we repeatedly heard the war protesters proclaiming that enough was enough – it was time for the United States to leave Iraq and Afghanistan! There had been enough blood shed and the Department of Defense needed to curtail its’ budget. Thus candidate Obama proclaimed that he would bring our troops home and focus on domestic issues; he did not promise to bring us into another war.
Why are Americans fighting Libya? Why are American lives being risked in Libya? What did Libya do to America? We cannot have it both ways – you cannot cry out for war and peace in the same breath.
Libyans are in the midst of a civil war, and atrocities are being committed, but does this really concern the United States. What about the citizens of Lebanon, Syria, or Yemen? Were atrocities not committed in Egypt? Why did we not intervene in these minimal to non-oil producing nation’s civil unrest? We are already at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, committed to protecting South Korea, and working on humanitarian missions in Japan. How far can we stretch the United States military?
CNN has reported: “The regime’s efforts appeared to have ‘stalled’ as Gadhafi has declared a cease-fire, the official said. . . . The coalition is watching carefully to see if Gadhafi’s assertion ‘is a pledge or just words,’ the official said. An opposition spokesman said he already knew the answer, at least as it pertains to Misrata, a key city about two hours east of Tripoli. ‘There is no cease-fire in Misrata,’ said Mohamed, who would not divulge his last name out of concern for his safety. ‘The destruction is unimaginable.’ ‘He keeps talking about a cease-fire, but he hasn’t observed that for one minute here,’ Mohamed said.”
Adding, “On Monday, approximately 80 sorties were flown, more than half of them by air forces representing countries other than the United States, he said. Gadhafi’s compound in Tripoli lay in shambles Monday after an attack by the United States and its allies. U.S. President Barack Obama repeated Monday that Gadhafi ‘needs to go,’ but he acknowledged the strongman may remain in power for some time because the allied military mission in North Africa has a narrow mandate of just protecting innocent civilians.” How long will this war last?
Which innocent civilians are we going to protect and how is this determined? Dictators have never ruled by popular decree, instead it is an iron fist which protects their power. Gadhafi did not come to power overnight, so why are we now determined to overthrow his regime; and why are all of those protesters, who called our involvement in the Middle East war mongering, now silent?
The last few years have seen a great deal of unrest in the Middle East; but when the streets of Tehran were overflowing with pro-democracy protesters, who were being beaten and jailed, the White House was all but mute. Why now are we going to war in Libya, and on whose side are we fighting? Is this war about something more than oil? I do not believe that we need to re-visit Tripoli; and I think we must be very careful of whose coffers we are filling. When the dust settles in the Middle East, who will we have helped put in power and why? That is all for now.
