Coalition of the wilfully blind

I thought it would take at least three days for these new allies – France, UK, US – to lose the support of the Arab League, upon whose agreement this latest fatuous adventure was predicated. But it took rather less than that; about five minutes after the first Tomahawk had been fired, in fact. Tomorrow, when a missile crashes into a mosque, or a hospital, or a school, we will once again have the enmity and fury of the Arab world turned directly upon us, and with some justification. And yet again there is not the slightest evidence that the Libyans opposed to Gaddafi are any more civilised and amenable than the deranged old bastard himself. What a filthy mess it is. I thought we might have learned a lesson or two, but nope, not a chance. Still, at least we have the French on side this time – that should make all the difference.

Why are the dead protestors in Libya worth avenging and not the dead protestors in Bahrain? Again, the Arabs look on and see only misplaced western self interest. If it was well placed western self interest one might cheerfully to tell them to get stuffed – but it isn’t, is it?