Moammar Gadhafi’s death on Thursday cheats those who wanted first to try him, then execute him publicly, of a prolonged revenge.
That’s surely for the best. The time and energy are much better spent on the infinitely complicated task of moving from a personal, erratic dictatorship to a government based on law and broad participation by the governed.
Gadhafi ruled for 42 years. He was an extraordinarily brutal man. A full list of those he had murdered or caused to die can never be made. He made Libya the butt of jokes worldwide with idiocies while committing an endless string of bestial cruelties to keep himself in power. The world is a better place without him. History will write his indictment in all of its ghastly detail without the need of a courtroom, prosecutors and worldwide TV.
Because he is gone, the Arab Spring can be sunnier. With Gadhafi in power, Libya offered no hope to the Arab on the street for a better Middle East. Libya counted only on the negative side of the equation. Now it can play a positive role.
That’s a possibility, not a prediction.
With luck and wise help from its friends, Libya’s rebels can now become the creators of a nation that will unite and serve the people there and use its oil wealth for the general good.
The United States can find ways to be of use to the Libyans eager to realize that opportunity. But we probably should wait to be asked.
– Emerson Lynn, jr.
