Death of Gaddafi

Blog Post on Gaddafi’s Death.
Josh Blake

I was very happy to hear that the Libyan dictator, General Muammar Gaddafi, has been killed. Gaddafi was a dictator and ruled his country without mercy. If anyone tried to oppose him they would be arrested, tried, tortured, and eventually killed. I am happy that the Libyan people decided to rise up and take back their country. The International community was in the right to aid the rebels in their fight to regain Libya back from Gaddafi and his supporters. I do not dislike or think badly of Gaddafi’s supporters because I believe that fear is a very powerful motivator. It was not surprising, to me, that Surt, Gaddafi’s home town, was his last strong hold with the most supporters.

When the rebels captured Gaddafi it is not clear, at this point, if he was killed as a fugitive or a prisoner. This matters due to NATO’s involvement within Libya. NATO is responsible for the correct sentencing for Gaddafi’s supporters; they must make sure that these supporters are treated within their basic human rights. Even though NATO did not put any troops on the ground in Libya they supported the rebels from the air with supply drops, ammunition, food, and aerial counter strikes against Gaddafi strong holds. After all this is what ended up leading to the capture and death of Gaddafi. Gaddafi was fleeing his hometown of Surt within a convoy when a French air strike halted the convoy long enough for the Libyan rebel fighters to get there.

How will this event change Libya? This is the next major question in the international community. What will the free Libyans do next? How will they rebuild after decades of suffering under Gaddafi. The answer is democracy, with help from the international community. I think that it is fairly obvious, to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past couple of months, that the Libyan people want freedom and democracy without corruption and fear. If NATO and the Libyan people can rebuild from this uprising then it will be an even greater success for the people of Libya.