LOOKING BACK: ‘We’ll have Soviet bases here’

The Herald, 26 August, 1981

ROME. – Libya could permit Warsaw Pact bases on its territory to counter the “arrogance” of the United States in the Mediterranean, a Libyan spokesman said yesterday.

Speaking at a Press conference at the Libyan People’s Bureau in Rome, information committee spokesman Mr Ali Atiya said the role of the Soviet Union in the Mediterranean was to “resist the US arrogance of power”.

“Those with whom we have friendship and cooperation are not dictated, from outside, and we have the liberty to defend ourselves as we wish,” Mr Atiya said.

He added: “No Soviet bases exist in Libya now, but if the People’s Committees decide it, they could be accepted to defend our freedom, and nobody can forbid it.”

Reiterating Libya’s claim to the Gulf of Sidri, scene of last week’s air battle with US fighter planes, the spokesman said disputes in the Mediterranean were entirely the concern of the states bordering it and the United States had no rights there at all.

He criticised Italy’s decision earlier this month to allow a NATO nuclear missile base at Comiso in southern Sicily, less than 300 miles from Tripoli. “If there is a US base – because NATO is the same thing – in southern Sicily, nobody can forbid the Warsaw Pact from having a base confronting it,” said Mr Atiya. – Ziana-Reuter.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

• During the Cold War, the geopolitical landscape was heavily influenced by dynamics between NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and the Warsaw Pact.
• While the Warsaw Pact officially disbanded in March and July of 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO is still operational, and was responsible for the death of Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. NATO, which is heavily sponsored by the United States is also behind the war between Russia and Ukraine.
• The setting up military bases underscores a fundamental aspect of international relations: nations often view military installations as provocations that could lead to heightened tensions.
• The presence of US forces and nuclear capabilities so close to North Africa was interpreted as an aggressive posture towards not just Libya but also other nations in the region.
• The idea that one side’s military build-up would necessitate a similar response from its adversaries is rooted in deterrence theory, which posits that nations will act to ensure their security against perceived threats.