Nominally the troops belong to the Peninsular Shield Force and are under the command of the Persian Gulf equivalent of NATO. The PSF purports to "deter, and respond to, military aggression against any of the GCC member countries", but its proprietors have more sense than to risk their investment in battles against outside forces (the US will do that for them), and reserve the troops for dealing with internal rebellion.
In some alternative universe, the Com-Post -- Wellington's paper of note -- described this as "Saudi Arabia invades Bahrain to crush democracy movement". However, we're stuck with a universe where this was the headline on Wednesday:
Perhaps the saddest aspect is that the Com-Post editors do not receive Saudi or Bahraini dinari to spin the news and maintain the equivalence between Dictatorship and Order; they do it happily for free. I doubt if they even have a strong ideological view that "Democracy = untidyness"; but the AFP report used the words "restore order" and coming up with different words for the headline would have required effort.Also they have a standard "____ forces move to restore order in ____" Mad-libs template (used previously in 1938 and 1975).
* In 2002 the current dictator decided that his old title of Emir was not grand enough, and did not allow him to wear a glitzy solid-gold crown from Michael Hill Jewellers, so he proclaimed himself to be King. Nouveau-riche trash.
UPDATE: Bonus moral relativism.
Gaddafi evidently received the memo, since he has promised often that his Presidential Guard and mercenaries will "restore order" across Libya. Oddly enough, the Com-Post headlines do not accept his choice of words; there must be some difference between the two cases, currently escaping me.
Everyone agrees, though, that restoring order in Libya is the priority, if necessary with bombs and missiles.
13 comments:
I love it best when they interview themselves.
beran, best to do if they coming for you.
You know, of all the things I long for, order is pretty much at the bottom of the list.
"Order", in this context, is nothing more or less than the uninterrupted and unconstrained flow of money from the peasants at street level to the vaults and international holdings of the powerful.
And certainly, when that flow is interrupted, there is great angst and gnashing of teeth until such time as enough blood has been spilled so that Order is restored..
"Order", in this context, is nothing more or less than the uninterrupted and unconstrained flow of money from the peasants at street level to the vaults and international holdings of the powerful.
Well put, mikey.
We've got a zillion tons of order right here in the U.S. of A.
~
Interestingly, "crush dissent" would have taken no more space in that headline.
There was concern that Bahraini troops would not be sufficiently enthusiastic about killing locals.
Aw geez, killing my neighbours AGAIN?
First make my brother look different from me.
weediggi, a little buzz on
First make my brother look different from me.
From way back here where we push the bombing buttons, all the little people look like ants.
~
I wish they did, in the back room from a cam sending pics via satellite, you can see the brand of jeans they are wearing.
Oh and this one has wonderful people skills according to her peer, http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4788566/Sophie-reporters-bad-taste-costume
That's too icky for us Merkins to contemplate, merc.
Luckily, your link contained another.
We prefer to believe that New Zealand is a hoppy place where hobbits run around drinking delicious beer.
~
First make my brother look different from me.
Fortunately he is balder, and less of an albino, and does not wear glasses.
Bombing Libya to free Libya activated. Journalists to explain also activated.
repiat, sort of recurring reptile
We prefer to believe that New Zealand is a hoppy place where hobbits run around drinking delicious beer.
What do you mean "believe?" Are you saying it's not? YOU TAKE THAT BACK, TRASHCAN-MOUTH!!!
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