Editorial
Gaddafi era ends
Let Libyans be free to shape their future
Despite the last-ditch stand by his loyalists in parts of Tripoli and in his home region of Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's hold on Libya has effectively come to an end. No tears for the man who consistently entrenched himself in power and indulged in self-glorification. In control of Libya since he, as a young colonel, overthrew the monarchy in September 1969, Gaddafi made little effort to transform his country into a democracy and at no point showed any desire to pass the torch to a successor. His obsession, especially in the past decade, has been to promote his children to take over from him. Besides, his eccentricities have always embarrassed his fellow Libyans.
It is thus natural that the Gaddafi era is over. Having said that, though, we cannot but be concerned that his end was brought about through the intervention of Nato, whose firepower pounded his forces and assisted the rebels day after day. Without Nato, the rebels would not be where they are today. The change in Libya hardly approximates the revolutions which swept long-entrenched rulers in Tunisia and Egypt from power. In those countries, it was the people who achieved victory. In Libya, victory has come by way of Nato. With instances of change through western military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq fresh in our minds, Nato's role in Libya only reinforces a bad precedent. It holds up the spectre of powerful nations and alliances ready and willing to intervene militarily in smaller, weaker states in order to support their preferred political groups and to uphold their own strategic interests.
It should now be for the western powers to let the people of Libya decide the nature and form of a post-Gaddafi government. Any move, subtle or overt, to influence or coerce the National Transitional Council into adopting policies the west can be comfortable with can only have bad repercussions around the globe. Gaddafi has gone. Now Libya's people must shape the future in their own enlightened interest. Let them do it freely, without foreign patronisation or interference.
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