Post-liberation Libya

Let them get on with it

The Libyans must control their own destiny, albeit with some help from their friends

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Readers' comments



Libya is going to go through a tough time coming up trying to set up the government and unite everyone to be happy under one government. While it is important that Libyans are for Libya, they will most likely need more support from the UN to carry this out successfully. No one should under estimate Gaddafi's ability to bring mayhem back to Liyba. Hopefully everything goes as planned and Libya gets the humanitarian help that it needs in order to keep their people alive and safe.


Mant ingredients for civil war are already at play. Gaddafi is not going to go down without a fight. This man is making that pretty clear. He will most likely make it tough for libya to keep their time line. And even if they do many conflicts because of them going for independence will arouse. We can only wait and see how long the west stays out of it.


The end of this article is an idealists version of what could happen after Libya declares their independence. There are many things that can go wrong after the Libyans declare their independence for starters further civil war could break out as a military leader in Libya or even a neighboring country could attempt to seize control of a country which is in a state of chaos. Although hopefully this will not happen and the Libyans will be able to keep their timeline.


Another case of "Arab Revolution" guided by the hands of European powerhouses. The majority of those aiding Libya are only in it for the oil. Major corporations cannot wait until Libya is settled back down which will allow oil to be pumped again. Hopefully the likelihoods of Libya's citizens are kept in mind when all this occurs.


I don't believe that Qaddafi will let the rebels continue to fight for their freedom without a war. I understand that the rebels and citizens of Libya are trying to gain their independence with as little uprising as possible, but that is never easy to do. The United Nations and NATO are stepping in to help the Libyans, but if Libya wants to receive their freedom, then they will have to do a lot of the fighting on their own. The West cannot protect and support everyone, and we have to limit our help with this fight for Libyan independence.


What an optimistic picture this article paints for us civilians. Too bad the real leaders of the world are only interested in how fast Libya can get the oil running again.


Unfortunately it does not seem as if Libya is ready to be completely left to help itself so soon after the war. Although things seem to be going smoothly up to this point I personally think that Gaddafi’s forces at the very least (if not then Gaddafi himself) will attempt to retake or just terrorize Tripoli in the future. After being such a brutal leader for the past four decades, Gaddafi isn’t likely to give up that easily while he’s still alive. Furthermore, although the new government may attempt to unify all the peoples of Libya, grudges will continue to be held against Gaddafi supporters and non-supporters. Feelings don’t just change that quickly.
Therefore, while it is fortunate that Libya is having success in its transition to a new Gaddafi-free government, European nations should be close by (via NATO forces and UN help) to oversee the formation of the new government and ensure that daily life is restored (i.e. that Libyans in the capitol have electricity etc.). Although the aid of Europe will probably result in a large of amount of influence coming from its companies that are interested in oil, however without foreign help, Libya is not in a stable enough condition to handle its situation alone. Ultimately, I think Libya should form its own government and new leaders but have the military protection for until the country has reached a more stable position politically. Whether or not that will be possible (military protection without political influence) will soon be discovered but until then I agree with the general idea that economist expresses here: Libya does need to be largely in control of what happens in their country right now.


When Saddam Hussein fell, a mindlessly premature celebration ensued in the western media,in spite of all fundamentals pointing to future trouble: poor, uneducated,sectarian-divided and easy to manipulate population, an invading army soon to become an occupation force, sworn enemies as neighbors, most non-participant world powers fearful of an american power grab and of the US taking over Iraqi oil as a first step towards total control of the Middle East crude at the exclusion of others, early alienation of the defeated iraqi government managerial class...

Now that Qaddafi has fallen, everybody is whining about the terrible future awaiting Libya, never mind the fundamentals: No occupation by any foreign force, an endogenously won victory after a long fight,a wealthy and relatively educated, European-oriented populace, neighbors that are allies and client states of the EU and/or the US, the area being perceived as "Europe´s backyard" and not geostrategically vital by most world powers, that will therefore not contest the outcome of the conflict Libyans and Europeans decide to pursue, the civil service and police switching sides instead of being turned into enemies...

The odds are heavily in favor of things turning out all right this time.

Besides, not everyone is as inept as the Darth Cheynious team.

Jai Prakash Sharma

The collapse of the Gaddafi led autocratic rule, though welcome, yet the Libyans, in order to have a real feel of liberation, deserve more than simply a change of guards, which can come only through an orderly transition to a widely supported democratic rule, a formidable task to achieve, but an imperative to fill the power vacuum left with the departure of Gaddafi. Given that, it would be premature to celebrate liberation of Libya.


Yes, Definitely,

Libya must chart it's own course, carefully guided by Europe and it's multinational oil corporations and banking guilds who are most altruistic and humble in their motivations. ;-)

Neocolonialism? nawwwwwwww....too harsh a word.


Now that The UK and other countries have recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate government of Libya, surely it is (in their eyes, at least) the Gaddafi loyalists who are the rebels.


I like the caption "Let them get on with it".For various reasons mostly convenient ones the West never really bothered the Libyan leader. He had a grand time with his pranks and antics and most Arab nations regarded Libya as useful cousin.Now that the despot is on the way out it is Libyans who should get together and act responsibly leaving behind past differences of tribal or clan identities.
Some patience and less force might have made Iraq less violent.Thankfully no western nation can now claim any credible role in the victory of the rebels.It was indeed very wise of Mr.Obama to have taken a stand of least interference and he is rewarded.
The UN has not been effective in most situations and is always regarded as an administrative arm of the US government.If ever UN should now take part in the reconstruction of Libya with an effective and reassuring advisory role and funds are no problem for the Libyans and thanks to the despot he has not stolen to strip the nation bare.


Destiny of Libyans is now depend on whim of NATO.Really speaking Libya is liberating with help of NATO.Libyans will experiences new slavery from NATO.Libyans must surrender their oil will to Western countries only for this purpose they provided you arms and attacked on QADDAFI.

red till dead

Wow,who would have thought. After 7 months of aerial bombardment and the arming of a bunch of unstable terrorists, Tripoli seems to have been taken by this bunch of "laudable freedom fighters". As victories go, this rates just above the "mission accomplished" by Blair and Bush. I fear the worst is to come when the tribal make-up of this proud country re-establishes itself.
Never mind. To take our minds off the West's domestic problems our brave bombers can turn their attention to Bahrain, Syria, Yemen......



If ever there was an international mission & CONSTRUCTIVE, NEEDED PURPOSE for the British Commonwealth, surely assisting Libya's brave leaders with the establishment of:

1) a Charter of Rights & Freedoms for Libya; &

2) human-rights based, democratic, universal-suffrage governance structures; &

3) a merit-based civil service; &

4) a court system based on 'principles of fundamental justice'...

... is one!!

Commonwealth nations with demonstrated-as-functional, evidence-based court systems that are operated using 'principles of fundamental justice'- such as the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand- could capably assist Libya's successful revolutionaries putting in place civil, business and criminal law infrastructure and apparatus within Libya...

Leaving Libya a better place for ALL of its peoples- than before the west's/NATO's intervention supporting Libya's laudable freedom fighters- ought to be assertively strived for by organizations such as the British Commonwealth, NGO's, NATO, western nations & even by UN Security Council permanent members Russia & China... now that there has been a defacto 'change of regime' in Libya...

Mr. Roderick V. Louis,
White rock, BC, Canada


It will not be as easy as your article predicts. What about all the Gaddafi supporters, followers, senior members of his regime, and those true believers, who may not want to get too close to the western world ?
They will need to be accommodated and then there is every possibility that new powers to be, might get carried away, large egos might clash.
Who will allocate the portfolios and foreign contracts ? what about those sidelined ?
If the new lot fail to deliver, then God help them.



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