Libya: Benghazi unrest, to Civil War, to a new government and Gaddafi's death.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Am I the only one here who suspects that the rebel forces really aren't much better than Gaddafi?

No, you're not. The rebels have dealt ruthlessly with their opponents. They're not quite like Qadhafy, but they are not exactly the freedom fighters the media is trumping them to be. At best, they are a mixture of unorganized rebels, various tribes and militants and probably many Islamists. I think the Libyans might regret this revolution one day.

Well, it's either Gaddafi being replaced, in some time, with some new Gaddafi or another civil war, this time between former rebels.

[Paul Kemp]

A female that I'm friends with on Facebook who is of Middle Eastern descent posted the following on her page:

"What a day . . . RIP Muammar Gaddafi"

I'm not quite sure what to make of that. Relative of Opebo perhaps?

[Landslide Lyndon]

Can't wait for JJ to post in this thread!

He's in Tripoli, looking for the victory parade; no one told him it was in Sirte.

Apropos, has anyone checked the price of gold?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

[Rochambeau jk I'm Hamilton]

Can't wait for JJ to post in this thread!

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

No we dont. If Libya doesnt get a democracy, it's Obama's fault.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Pretty pissed now---why didnt our soldiers give Osama the Mussolini treatment? Libya did. Good news He got what he deserved, maybe even less.

[Miles]

Well, my Arabic professor last semester predicted that Gaddafi would be killed in Libya. 'Looks like he was right.

[GMantis]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

In fact, he'll likely be replaced by obedient lackeys of NATO. So you should be happy jmfcst - one more country subservient to the US.

[J. J.]

Can't wait for JJ to post in this thread!

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

I posted this morning saying it was great news.

Long term, it gives Libya a slightly better chance of having a stable government.

No we dont. If Libya doesnt get a democracy, it's Obama's fault.

First, I want stability above everything.

If Libya becomes the next Somalia (which is what I'm worried about), very little of the fault will go to Obama.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pretty pissed now---why didnt our soldiers give Osama the Mussolini treatment? Libya did. Good news He got what he deserved, maybe even less.

I find this kind of mentality pretty despicable.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

jmfcst got a good point here, while he's remaining wrong on Egypt. In Egypt, there's a strong, secular force that have a respect in society: armed forces. In Libya, there's nothing now. Just dust and ashes, which is just a perfect field for new outbreak of sectarian, tribal civil war and whatever follows it.

Best option would be Gaddafi being replaced earlier by saner establishment elements, that would at least try to meet public demands. Now it's too late.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Pretty pissed now---why didnt our soldiers give Osama the Mussolini treatment? Libya did. Good news He got what he deserved, maybe even less.

I find this kind of mentality pretty despicable.

Your a Qaddafi fan or no sense of humor then..Ask any Mechanic in the US what they think.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pretty pissed now---why didnt our soldiers give Osama the Mussolini treatment? Libya did. Good news He got what he deserved, maybe even less.

I find this kind of mentality pretty despicable.

Your a Qaddafi fan or no sense of humor then..Ask any Mechanic in the US what they think.

I don't shed a tear for his death, but rejoicing for it is silly. Killing a f^*cking bastard doesn't make justice for all the evil he has done.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

I seem to remember people making exactly the same argument regarding Saddam Hussein. Want him back as well?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I seem to remember people making exactly the same argument regarding Saddam Hussein. Want him back as well?

I don't want Qaddafi back back, but I sure wouldn't have been supporting the mob who overthrew him...

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Pretty pissed now---why didnt our soldiers give Osama the Mussolini treatment? Libya did. Good news He got what he deserved, maybe even less.

I find this kind of mentality pretty despicable.

Your a Qaddafi fan or no sense of humor then..Ask any Mechanic in the US what they think.

I don't shed a tear for his death, but rejoicing for it is silly. Killing a f^*cking bastard doesn't make justice for all the evil he has done.

Wow, wow, wow.

You just called one of the most vocal NATO intervention supporters on Atlas a "Gaddafi fan"?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Pretty pissed now---why didnt our soldiers give Osama the Mussolini treatment? Libya did. Good news He got what he deserved, maybe even less.

I find this kind of mentality pretty despicable.

Your a Qaddafi fan or no sense of humor then..Ask any Mechanic in the US what they think.

Oh, and dragging someone's dead body is very, very humorous

[Insula Dei]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

jmfcst got a good point here, while he's remaining wrong on Egypt. In Egypt, there's a strong, secular force that have a respect in society: armed forces. In Libya, there's nothing now. Just dust and ashes, which is just a perfect field for new outbreak of sectarian, tribal civil war and whatever follows it.

Pretty funny how you're setting the Egyptian army down as a force for stability and secularism. This analysis might have been correct in February, but ever since the army has been trying to get a deal with the MB, and to make sure that whatever Egypt looks like in 5 years time, it'll still be a nation with the Army at its core. The best thing that could happen right now in Egypt is for the army to be outmanoeuvred, even if that has to happen at least partionally by the MB.

[Stranger in a strange land]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

No he wasn't. He banned alcohol, sponsored Islamist terror groups, sponsored Muslim organizations throughout Africa, and changed the flag to the color of Islam for God's sake. He adhered to a weird synthesis of Islamism and Socialism which was in vogue in the 60s & 70s, as opposed to the Salafism which is popular today, but to say he was a secular dictator who was useful because he kept the Islamists in check isn't really accurate.

Can't wait for JJ to post in this thread!

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

No we dont. If Libya doesnt get a democracy, it's Obama's fault.

*facepalm*

[Хahar 🤔]

FWIW, I doubt any potential future Libyan government would end the ban on alcohol.

[phk]

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

yes, Qaddafi was a tyrant who deserved to die, but he was a secular tyrant...what will replace him will be much worse.  if you dont understand this, then you are very naive about the world.

No he wasn't. He banned alcohol, sponsored Islamist terror groups, sponsored Muslim organizations throughout Africa, and changed the flag to the color of Islam for God's sake. He adhered to a weird synthesis of Islamism and Socialism which was in vogue in the 60s & 70s, as opposed to the Salafism which is popular today, but to say he was a secular dictator who was useful because he kept the Islamists in check isn't really accurate.

Can't wait for JJ to post in this thread!

Also the Obama-haters who opposed NATO intervention are looking pretty silly now.

No we dont. If Libya doesnt get a democracy, it's Obama's fault.

*facepalm*

I could have sworn reading that the Green flag was a symbol of the "Green Revolution...

[lowtech redneck]

In Egypt, there's a strong, secular force that have a respect in society: armed forces.

The army is only 'secular' in comparison to the Muslim Brotherhood (and didn't they just slaughter a bunch of Copt protesters?); frankly, I highly doubt any powerful segment of a country in which 84% of the Muslim population support the execution of apostates could be a considered a 'secular' force.

I'm not optimistic about Egypt (I do consider the overthrow of Mubarak and the NDP to have been necessary, in light of their regime only making the Islamist problem worse over time, but that doesn't mean the replacement will be anything but terrible for decades to come).

[© tweed]

FWIW, I doubt any potential future Libyan government would end the ban on alcohol.

unless they want to get the coveted BRTD endorsement.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I wonder if we'll ever know for sure the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi's death.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I wonder if we'll ever know for sure the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi's death.

I think we know enough already. He was found, he was captured, he was (eventually) lynched.

Personally I don't think it's right to ride moral high-horses over the latter. Obviously it's not right to lynch someone, but under the circumstances... it's actually quite understandable that it happened and I'm less than comfortable about judging it. It isn't as though a court would have done anything other than order his death anyway.