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Theory of games and Qaddafi

Reader comment on item: Qaddafi's Ignominious End
in response to reader comment: I hope I'm wrong, but...

Submitted by Ianus (Poland), Oct 21, 2011 at 17:54

Peter Herz wrote :

" Further, none of the "liberated" Arab countries show any sign of giving a fair shake to their religious minorities, or backing down on their demonization of the Jews. I'm not very optimistic about what the future holds."

I fully agree. All this rant and hysteria about "dictators" oppressing "good common people" in the context of the Middle East looks to me like a third-rate joke or worse. I don't know whom it intends to fool by making him believe in the concept of democracy in a culture and region (excepting Israel) that has never had nor in principle can have one?

The interesting thing about theory of games is that it allows by manipulating semantic rules to put an opponent in a situation where he will lose the game the moment he accepts the rules irrespective of what he does and thinks. So defining somebody a "dictator" because he has a bloody political record and omitting anything that goes to his credit is a sure way to make an unperson of him. On the other hand not defining others that do participate in the game and have exactly the same or even worse criminal politicl record like our unperson , say the Saudi or Jordanian or Bahreini royal gangs or other US-supported criminals in power as "dictators" but putting them aside and establishing different semantic rules for them is a sure way to make their position secure and assailable as long as the semantic rules are accepted.

Now the core issue is who establishes the rules and for what reason, What game he is playing in the first place and why I should accept his semantic rules at all as valid ?

I think that even the most inexperienced observer can say with certainty that the rules here are not established according to any valid methodology with the objective of ascertaining the truth of the subject matter.Their sole purpose is winning the game at no or minimal risk which means the game is from the very beginning a fraudulent game as no other rules are accepted for playing it. What am I driving at ? That what the media says about Qaddafi is not dictated by the wish to reflect the reality but to legitimize ex post the fait accompli.

If so ,what other rules can be meant to find out the truth ? The simple answer is that in the Middle East (again excepting Israel) democracy is not an issue at all and so arguing that Qaddafi is a dictator is not serious as all in power the region are dictators as well. So why single out Qaddafi?

What is involved in fact are traditional forces that struggle for power in Libya and the West's, i.e. US, support of or opposition to them. In case of Libya the forces are three - 1/ traditional different rivalling tribes of Western, Central and Eastern Libya ; 2/ pan-Islamist and pan-jihadist movements exemplified by the Moslem Brotherhood, Hizbut Tahrir ( Party of Liberation), al-Qaida and others 3/ Qaddafi's socialism that oppressed and/or balanced between hostile tribal loyalties and their centrifugal tendencies and created and kept alive a unified state with remarkable economic and social benefits to all or most and assured a degree of security (that has been replaced now by a state of endemic violence ) by fighting both tribal feudalism and the Moslem Brotherhood and other pan-Islamist movements.

Now given this deployment of real forces existing in Libya (as we can see none of them stands for "democracy", "freedom of speech" or "women's rights" ;) whom does the US in fact support by fomenting rebellions against Qaddafi, by supporting them militarily and possibly even by assassinating him? The US can support only two forces - tribal feudalism or radical pan-Islamist movements like the Moslem Botherhood? If we look at Egypt maybe we still remember the US warmly supporting radical Islam and a very high-ranking US official in earnest persuading the top US representatives that the Moslem Brotherhood is " largely largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried al-Qaeda as a perversion of Islam".

Well, if we understand the perverted semantic rules estabished for the game which people like the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and his bosses are playing we should not be surprised by such statements or others which are by definition not intended to enhance our knowledge of what is going on in the Middle East but only to achieve a number of propaganda and practical goals set by those who establish such fraudulent semantic rules with which we are constantly duped and fooled.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (66) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
2Tragic event [30 words]LoraOct 27, 2011 08:43190446
3democracy in the arab world [57 words]swapnilOct 26, 2011 10:31190412
3the people's tyrant [176 words]RNOct 24, 2011 04:25190329
12Where are Libya's 144 tons of gold ? [186 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 16:40190316
Similarities between Qadhafi and Jugurtha [57 words]Debanjan BanerjeeOct 24, 2011 14:17190316
1To find something similar to Gaddafi in the western world, Debanjan has to go back 2000 years [99 words]JoshOct 25, 2011 02:09190316
8The Test of the Century [109 words]Michael Hanni MorcosOct 23, 2011 14:42190313
3Qaddafi's Ignominious End [187 words]Balarabe AbbaOct 22, 2011 09:11190276
Qaddafi's Ignominious End [63 words]Balarabe AbbaOct 21, 2011 14:01190250
3Qaddafi's Ignominious end [135 words]Nenette GrunbergOct 21, 2011 10:50190245
3Nothing to rejoice [115 words]car313Oct 21, 2011 05:01190238
8What about directing worldwide jihad against China ? [192 words]IanusOct 21, 2011 18:21190238
2China's "Muslim Problem" doesn't need US manipulation [542 words]Kepha HorOct 21, 2011 23:17190238
While I'm at it... [52 words]Kepha HorOct 21, 2011 23:19190238
1Democracy and Islam [110 words]JoshOct 22, 2011 00:39190238
1You have a point there [122 words]car313Oct 22, 2011 05:31190238
4Why another enemy? The old one is still there. [596 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 15:01190238
4Spectators,not actors [326 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 16:18190238
3How to profit from meddling with China's "Islamic problem" ? [716 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 18:46190238
1The next bogey is... [12 words]KeithOct 23, 2011 23:55190238
Communism was not a bogey [443 words]PrashantOct 24, 2011 00:05190238
Nice Litany, but... [71 words]Kepha HorOct 25, 2011 17:55190238
4Whose litany do you mean? [531 words]IanusOct 26, 2011 07:00190238
Re my Comments [439 words]Kepha HorOct 26, 2011 21:06190238
Re my Comments [136 words]Kepha HorOct 26, 2011 21:11190238
11Chechens were Christians. [644 words]IanusOct 29, 2011 12:38190238
3Ever heard a Moslem blame Islam for anything ? [889 words]IanusOct 29, 2011 19:26190238
3Islam -the biggest killer of Christianity [1120 words]IanusOct 30, 2011 08:27190238
1Have I ever heard a Muslim blame Islam for anything? [199 words]Kepha HorNov 3, 2011 21:43190238
1A quibble [83 words]Kepha HorNov 3, 2011 21:48190238
2What America will you fight for ? [855 words]IanusNov 6, 2011 19:32190238
1What Will You Fight For, Indeed, America? [580 words]M. ToveyNov 7, 2011 18:04190238
Ok, Ok, [485 words]Kepha HorNov 7, 2011 21:48190238
Maybe... [36 words]Garry LockwoodNov 17, 2011 18:30190238
3Maybe... [452 words]IanusNov 20, 2011 15:20190238
Don't Forget [134 words]BB KingNov 23, 2011 22:47190238
5"Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi" [1639 words]IanusNov 30, 2011 14:13190238
3Qaddafi [66 words]Nelson D'SilvaOct 21, 2011 04:08190236
Seconding Nelson D' Silva's voice [197 words]JoshOct 22, 2011 15:37190236
4Canadian -Nato Factor [130 words]Michael Hanni MorcosOct 20, 2011 23:03190223
2QADAFFI'S END [45 words]samOct 20, 2011 22:27190222
1No Pluralism in Libya [86 words]jdOct 20, 2011 22:09190220
2Or ... [39 words]IanusOct 21, 2011 19:39190220
6I hope I'm wrong, but... [79 words]Peter HerzOct 20, 2011 20:25190212
3Peter Herz's hope is true [120 words]PrashantOct 20, 2011 22:18190212
7We all need to be pessimistic about Libya [63 words]JoshOct 21, 2011 00:43190212
6Theory of games and Qaddafi [774 words]IanusOct 21, 2011 17:54190212
2Are you aware that Lebanon is a democracy in the MiddleEast, not just Israel? [71 words]BB KingOct 21, 2011 22:46190212
4Mixing up form and content [285 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 14:09190212
2Disagree [83 words]BB KingOct 23, 2011 20:20190212
4What content does 'confessionalism form of government' convey in real life ? Theocratic pluralism ? [622 words]IanusOct 25, 2011 02:50190212
2Wrong Precedent to Establish Democracy [124 words]BB KingOct 25, 2011 20:47190212
4Not so wrong as you think [661 words]IanusOct 26, 2011 19:03190212
4Answer [66 words]BB KingOct 26, 2011 23:25190212
4Unsatisfactory answer [411 words]IanusOct 28, 2011 07:48190212
2Set in your mindset [175 words]BB KingOct 28, 2011 22:13190212
3... or perhaps in yours ? [1177 words]IanusOct 30, 2011 19:01190212
5A few observations [288 words]BB KingNov 1, 2011 00:46190212
2Paper democracy and the justice system of the United Arab Emirates "seven places avove the USA" [992 words]IanusNov 3, 2011 18:33190212
1Thanks, Prashant [33 words]Peter HerzNov 3, 2011 21:50190212
1Thanks for the moral support... [35 words]Peter HerzNov 3, 2011 21:54190212
2Freedom of Religion in Lebanon [240 words]BB KingNov 6, 2011 17:43190212
2Experience and governmental lies [543 words]IanusNov 6, 2011 20:15190212
2You're welcome [167 words]IanusNov 6, 2011 20:44190212
Last Dictator ? [44 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
nashoushOct 20, 2011 16:45190202
2Not to mention the pro-US dictators [38 words]Debanjan BanerjeeOct 24, 2011 14:19190202

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