[MT2008]

Originally Posted by k9870

I want korea reunited under a southern korea style democracy. I think it could work.

It won't. Take my word for it. And the words of people who have thought about the North Korean nuke issue for years now. As much as I would love to see the Kims gone and Korea re-united as a democracy, it just isn't possible, sadly.

Originally Posted by k9870

In libya, i see no hope. Quadaffi doesnt exactly have nukes either.

What im wondering, is okay, the UN bombs some stuff. What next? Do they even have along term plan?

Here, you have legitimate points. Personally, I see this as similar to the early stages in Afghanistan (when we helped the Northern Alliance kick out the Taliban).

I am not sure if Qaddafi and his supporters would be able to mount the kind of insurgency that the Taliban have been able to sustain since losing Kabul, but it is a possibility and I am very concerned about the endgame in Libya for this reason.

Originally Posted by Markit

I wouldn't go so far as to paint the rebels the same as Qaddafi (it isn't as if they were intentionally trying to kidnap the Brits who more or less showed up unannounced when the rebellion had just broken out). As for claiming that they are all Islamists, that's pretty much how Qaddafi has been trying to characterize them, with no real evidence that it is a widespread sentiment.

I'd worry less about Islamism and more about the tribalism of Libyan society (which is the same problem that Iraq has always had). No ideology - whether democracy or Islamism - is going to improve Libya's cohesion as a nation-state if so many Libyans regard their tribal bonds as more important than the nation.

Originally Posted by Markit

Perhaps what's most interesting so far about this operation is probably how cynically people (on the internet at least) have been responding to it (compared to Iraq or Kosovo)

While I don't speak for everyone, I think that many Americans are very cynical about trying to change regimes in the Middle East after what has happened in Iraq. While I think it's too pessimistic to say that the Islamic world will never be able to become more democratic, I do think many Americans (myself included) are cynical that it can ever be done through military intervention and regime change alone.