Oct. 20, 2011 marks the end of the 40-year-long reign of Col. Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. After six months of solidarity, a retraction of his power in August of this year. Libya’s struggle is one of feuding tribes, natural resources, power, and above all, oppression.
What will happen to Libya now that Gaddafi is gone? After “aiding” the rebels and arming them, NATO pulled out immediately following the brutal death of Gaddafi. Now, Libya is left with no government, no protection, and groups of rebels with nothing to do.
Countless reports are surfacing about rebels going into homes and robbing them then burning them down, and who is doing all the looting? You guessed it: the rebels — the same rebels NATO helped fund.
If this story sounds familiar to you, then you’re probably relating this lovely scenario to that of 1979 and U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. After helping arm the Taliban to fight off the remaining Russian insurgents, the group we supported eventually turned on the people of Afghanistan and began a killing and destroying spree that has cost us billions of dollars to try to fix, and still no progress. In essence, we created these terrorists.
So what makes Libya’s current situation any better? The answer is simple: nothing. Dozens of Middle Eastearn scholars have claimed for decades now that dictatorships and suppression of democratic ideals in Middle Eastern oil-producing countries has caused political stability, which, in turn, is good for business.
Now with Gaddafi gone and no one to run the country, what is to become of the oil supplies? One of two things: either NATO countries find a way to drain the oil supply for dirt cheap and very discreetly, or these rebel forces will soon pose a genuine threat to importers of high-quality Libyan oil, causing oil prices to soar and increasing the political woes in the region.
The first scenario, while it may benefit the American and European consumer, would be extremely detrimental to Libyan citizens and the development of their newly freed country.
The second is a scenario U.S. foreign relations simply cannot handle; the economy is shot as it is and the main goal of our legislators and the Obama administration at this point in time should focus solely on internal reparations with regards to our unemployment rate, economy, educational system, etc.
If Libya follows in the steps of Afghanistan and becomes a failed or failing state, its status as an oil producing country alone would ensure catastrophe.
Libya’s new government has to be established with great haste in order to ensure internal as well as external state security, and the rights of Libyan citizens must be protected at great costs.
After all, isn’t that why they revolted in the first place?
Dina Al-Hayek is a senior political science major and contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
