Welcome to week #3 of NPR’s
World Story of the Day from NPR.” He said. This is also our 13th
week. This unit, we’ll hear about various stories from across the world. This
unit also has a heavy emphasis on the Middle East. September and August were
ripe times for international news. This marks the end of the Libyan unit.
This lesson comes from September 20th, 2012 (my
birthday). It features a terror group in Libya discussing the attack on
Benghazzi, the city where the embassy was. You will hear their claims regarding
the situation and remember it as well. Good luck.
Here are the discussion questions:
1) Do
you buy the group’s denial that they participated in this event? Why or why
not?
2) Describe
the terrorist group
3) Why
do they not like the West?
4) What
role do they play in Libya?
Homework:
1) Do you
believe Hilary Clinton’s (initial) reading of the situation or the Libyan
President’s (initial) reading of the situation? Why do you think that?
Clearly, evidence has borne out the Libyan president's theory, which is now generally accepted by all. Clinton's initial reluctance to level such an accusation must be attributed to the very sentiment that defines her job: DIPLOMACY. One wrong word, and she might wreck the very relations that the US was trying to rebuild, the relations that we need in order to get Libya's help investigating the attack!
ReplyDeleteThe Libyans, for their part, were commendably forward. After living so long as a "pariah nation," they'd had it with alienating the rest of the world, especially its most powerful nation. This is also, I suspect, the very reason why they DON'T side with the terrorists who perpetuated the assault, terrorists whose only goal seems to be to drive away all influences outside of their own brand of Islamist militarism.
You see, these guys are purportedly linked to al-Qaeda, and all that al-Qaeda cares about, in my observation, is POWER THROUGH CHAOS. Al-Qaeda seeks to wreck all government functionality, and sever all ties with the West, in order to create an isolated, impoverished Middle East in which no one can challenge their authority. And that's why the Libyan terrorist group signed on to them: they wanted power.
Seeking power and dominance after Qaddafi's fall, the terrorists set out to undermine their country's fledgling government both at home and abroad, especially the latter. To this end, they made a conscious decision to commit the worst diplomatic atrocity possible, on a day when no one would miss the significance, all while covering it up beneath a wave of anti-American protests across the Islamic world. The intent was, to cut off Libya from the outside world, again, by alienating the US with the deceit that popular sentiment in Libya somehow wanted all Americans dead, and gone from their country. In the aftermath, the government's credibility would be destroyed, and the terrorists could seize power.
Fat lot of good it did them, though.
Remember, this group made these claims after the attack, but before the riot. Knowing what you know now, can you see how the government can step in to do all the positive stuff they were dong, assuming the group was doing those "good" things at all, what with the alleged "community support" they had and all.
ReplyDelete1) I suppose it's possible that they performed the attack. From what I understand, this group helped US and NATO forces to overthrow Gadhafi, but now they don't want American involvement in the nation. I suppose the attacks could be a signal of get out, if these guys were the perpetrators at all.
ReplyDelete2) Terrorist group? Again, from what I gathered, they were helping US and NATO forces. This seems to completely dissolve the point of the last question on whether or not they were guilty.
3) These guys are very uber-conservative Islamists, and are very opposed to the Western worldview. They are out for a secluded Muslim world separated from all Western influence, and are really pissed when we go in there (so we shouldn't be in there, but that's off-topic).
4) From what I can tell, they are a powerful and influential militia group with a strong potential to come to power in Libya.