"...to the Shores of Tripoli". I did remember the Barbary Coast and the Barbary War - having something to do with pirates. So I remembered but the facts eluded me so I did some reading. ... talk about the potential for history repeating itself.
The first battle fought on foreign soil by forces from the United States was the battle of Derne and fought to restore an exiled ruler (Harmat Karamanli) to replace the then current ruler, his brother Yussif - in short we took sides in a civil dispute because our interests (piracy) were at issue. Tripoli was its own nation-state at the time and only during the Italian occupations and pre-post WWII did Libya becomes what it is with Tripoli the capital.
We seem to know only of the coastal cities and economically only of the oil fields that were opened to American companies in the 1950s. A pedestrian sketch of the country can be found here.
I'm wondering what is going on in Ghat this morning (look at your map). Probably not much and the brouhaha up north and out east are pretty likely to have passed this town by. Not so earlier. Ghat was something of a principal city in the Sahara trade route and was in the region called Fezzan that was incorporated into modern Libya. It is only now a backwater; water being the operative word here because Ghat is part of a series of oasis that of course were necessary for travel and trade travel specifically. No one just went out and built a town with no water.
The Romans were there as were the Ottomans, Italians, English, Nazis - well you name it and they have been to Ghat and stayed there. This is the current weather report from the Ghat airport:
Widespread Dust
Humidity:16 %
Visibility:4.97 mi
Dewpoint:34 °F
Wind:S 14 mph
UV Index:8
UV Description:Very High
So why Ghat this morning? Well it seems we have any number of folks who think we will be best served if we send some folks in there to protect our interests and the peace-loving freedom seeking Libyans. What that really means is protect the oil areas of Libya from mob rule and civil war. The Egyptians didn't shoot at each other and the rulers of each (Egypt and Libya) country were and are equally crazy nor did we seek to show force there although there were/are 10 to 100 times more Americans in danger in Egypt than here. It is oil that makes the difference.
Gates, our Secretary of Defense, was on capital hill yesterday and talked about the potentials for future Afghanistans - places were we would have to send troops for extended periods...very non-specific but if you have lived half a century and watch our government gin up the preludes to military action...here is one. That hint will be followed in the next few days by editorials or columns - opinion pieces, about the sanctity of American interests and some revival of the Bush doctrine of shoot and ask why later that the military still seems to think is the law of the land.
This is a picture of fortress Ghat. Get used to the idea that at some point there is going to be a company of American GIs there to act as our Peace Corps with rifles.
We seem to know only of the coastal cities and economically only of the oil fields that were opened to American companies in the 1950s. A pedestrian sketch of the country can be found here.
The Romans were there as were the Ottomans, Italians, English, Nazis - well you name it and they have been to Ghat and stayed there. This is the current weather report from the Ghat airport:
Widespread DustFeels Like:82 °F
Barometer:27.54 inHumidity:16 %
Visibility:4.97 mi
Dewpoint:34 °F
Wind:S 14 mph
UV Index:8
UV Description:Very High
So why Ghat this morning? Well it seems we have any number of folks who think we will be best served if we send some folks in there to protect our interests and the peace-loving freedom seeking Libyans. What that really means is protect the oil areas of Libya from mob rule and civil war. The Egyptians didn't shoot at each other and the rulers of each (Egypt and Libya) country were and are equally crazy nor did we seek to show force there although there were/are 10 to 100 times more Americans in danger in Egypt than here. It is oil that makes the difference.
Gates, our Secretary of Defense, was on capital hill yesterday and talked about the potentials for future Afghanistans - places were we would have to send troops for extended periods...very non-specific but if you have lived half a century and watch our government gin up the preludes to military action...here is one. That hint will be followed in the next few days by editorials or columns - opinion pieces, about the sanctity of American interests and some revival of the Bush doctrine of shoot and ask why later that the military still seems to think is the law of the land.