Qaddafi, Gaddafi, Kadafi, Gadhafi. The spelling of his name may vary, but opinions of him don’t.
An editorial on the death of a mad dictator seems to be a no-brainer. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone opposing Moammar Gadhafi’s death.
As unrest spread from Tunisia to Libya in February, Gadhafi used brute forces in an attempt to crush the rebellion, in keeping with his regime of cruelty. According to CNN, he irrationally blamed the revolt of his people on Al-Qaeda and American influences, claiming that the United States slipped hallucinogenic drugs to Libyans through coffee. But the daily horrors that Libyans had to endure were not figments of their imaginations. This flimsy accusation only made Gadhafi’s insanity increasingly evident.
Also according to CNN, Gadhafi was also paranoid that the sole perpetrator for America’s involvement in the uprising was greed for Libya’s oil. After unsuccessfully pleading with Obama to stop NATO’s air campaign, he threatened to kill thousands of Americans and other “Westerners” if they dared to intervene. He claimed that the bombings were unjust against a defenseless, developing country.
The irony in Gadhafi’s plea of injustice is nothing compared to his disregard of the fact that the bombings were an attack against him in order to help the Libyan people.
Gadhafi was Libya’s leader for the longest amount of time in all of Africa and the Arab world. He was president for 42 long years. Consequently, many Libyan people have never known anyone else’s leadership. Until now, that is.
Even before his death, Gadhafi was already deposed and no longer had control over Libya. This important distinction makes Gadhafi’s death more iconic than beneficial in Libya’s search for stability. However, the symbolism of the death of their former dictator has been a cause for celebration since the news spread that he was killed on Oct. 20.
The transitional government was already in place when he was killed, with Mahmoud Jibril as Libya’s interim Prime Minister, who recently announced that elections will be held for a national congress, parliament, and president within the next eight months. These elections are a beacon of hope for Libyans, but many fear for their freedom. Libyans knew that Gadhafi was a tyrannical president, but they do not know what a democratic president should look like. Justice, sadly, is foreign to them.
The upcoming elections are the light at the end of the tunnel for Libyan injustice. They now have the freedom to find their own way to rebuild what Gadhafi spent 42 years successfully breaking down.
Still, Qadhafi’s death does not mean that the fight is over for Libya. This new opportunity for freedom is as much a cause for celebration as a cause for concern. Confusion and uncertainty will be inevitable as Libya tries to construct a system of governmental that they cannot fully understand just yet.
The ramifications of Gadhafi’s death have affected a much wider scope than people realize as the rebellion inspires others worldwide. Libya’s revolt has caused a chain reaction, encouraging the Occupy Wall Street movement which was the catalyst for other movements nationwide, including one in Baltimore.
Libya may seem like such a faraway place, but the effects can be seen quite close to home. Protestors for Occupy Baltimore have set up camp in the Inner Harbor, displaying their solidarity with Occupy Wall Street protestors at the same place that JC students will spend their prom night.
The typical mindset for high school students is that the issue is so far removed from their lives that they could not possibly impact the situation in any way. However, just being politically aware is an effective act in itself. Progress can only happen if informed people take action, no matter how far away the issue appears to be.
Other countries want to emulate Libya’s uprising, but they should not be given false hope by this one success story that is still being written. The fight has only just begun.
All facts from www.cnn.com.
Cara Reilly is the Copy Editor chief for the JCpatriot and JCpatriot.com