LITTLE ROCK — Few if any tears are being shed for Moammar Gadhafi, however bloody his end. He was a brutal despot and international terrorist whose four decades of murderous rule over Libya lasted far too long.
His death last week at the hands of rebels who overthrew his regime two months ago is first and foremost a victory for the Libyan people. They now have the opportunity to remake their country into a more peaceful and prosperous place for future generations.
It is also a success for President Barack Obama and his strategy of using air power and relying on allies, primarily through NATO, to remove Gadhafi. “Along with our friends and allies, we’ve demonstrated what collective action can achieve in the 21st Century,” the president declared at the White House.
While it may not be an Obama Doctrine, or even a long-term model for how to respond to other popular uprisings, it did work in this case. It could very well be the game plan in the near term as the United States disengages from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and focuses on pressing economic and other problems at home.
Obama endured slings and arrows from both sides-from hawks who called for American troops on the ground and from doves who wanted the United States to stay out entirely from what they warned would be a quagmire.
To their credit, a few critics acknowledged that the president’s middle course turned out to be the right one. “The administration deserves great credit. Obviously I had different ideas on the tactical side, but the world is a better place,” John McCain, Obama’s Republican presidential foe in 2008 and foreign policy scold since, said on CNN.
Libya and the world are indeed better off without Gadhafi. There are no guarantees of what comes next, however. Without political parties, unions or many civil institutions and with deep tribal divisions, anything remotely resembling a pluralistic democracy would have to count as a triumph.
While the military mission will soon end, the United States, continuing to work with the international community, still has an important role helping the interim government and Libyan people meet those challenges with financial and other aid. We still have a strategic and humanitarian stake in Libya’s future.
Editorial, Pages 20 on 10/26/2011