http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\02\22\story_22-2-2011_pg3_1
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
EDITORIAL: Another Arab domino?
The latest ripple in the angry wave of revolt is being felt in Libya, where
protests are being met with fierce resistance, leading to a bloody battle. Six
days since the first echoes of revolt started in Libya, Human Rights Watch has
reported that some 200 people have been killed by the security forces and that
there are fears of a massacre taking place in the country in an attempt to beat
back the rage of the people. Libya's second largest city, Benghazi, has
virtually been taken over by the protestors. Their goal? To oust a ruler who
has been in power for more than four decades. Moammer Gaddafi, unlike his
counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt, has imposed a rabid crackdown on the
dissenting masses, likening the country to a war zone. The anti-regime
demonstrations are fast spreading from Benghazi and are now beginning to be
felt in the capital city of Tripoli. The ruler, it seems, has employed his
supporters along with the security forces, to "shoot without discrimination".
In the meanwhile, Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, in a televised
address, warned protesters that Libya was not Tunisia or Egypt and that civil
war could be imminent. He declared that the government would fight to "the last
bullet". These are threatening words indeed.
The Arab world is in an unprecedented state of revolt. Tunisia and Egypt have
inspired the people into an irrepressible jolt into action. The Libyan
protesters are looking to shape the country the way they see fit. Libya itself
has, over the years, been fraught with many tensions and debilities. Now that
Gaddafi himself is being cornered, it has become important to revisit the
importance of this oil-rich country.
Unlike other dictators who have been ousted and are now under threat in these
revolts, Moammer Gaddafi has had a love-hate relationship with the US and the
west. After ousting King Idris from power in 1969, Gaddafi promoted himself as
a populist leader, a staunch Arab nationalist and a supporter of Palestinian
and anti-imperialist causes. Libya became a base for the support and training
of radical left-wing terror groups such as the IRA, Red Army of Germany and
Japan, and those supporting the Palestinians. Our very own nuclear scientist
gone awry - Dr Strangelove - was exporting nuclear know-how and materials and
one of the chief beneficiaries of this enterprise was Libya. Libya, being a
supporter of left-wing guerilla movements and a recipient of nuclear
proliferation, invited the wrath of the Reagan administration, which bombed
Libya in 1986 (during which Gaddafi's daughter was killed). Some say Lockerbie,
which took place in 1988, was a revenge strike by Gaddafi. After Lockerbie came
immense diplomatic pressure and the threat of sanctions, due to which Gaddafi
had to change his stance to one of compromise. The Lockerbie accused were
handed over and nuclear secrets were shared (Pakistan's international image on
its nuclear aspirations has never been the same since). From a populist leader,
Gaddafi became a US stooge in the eyes of his people. His iron grip on Libya,
the oil and gas wealth of the country and his populism were his trump cards and
his image took a nosedive.
Now that the wave of revolt is ripe, Libyans seem ready to depose a leader of
lost credibility and appeal. This, indeed, is a momentous moment in global
history. Libya is a country that, due to its oil riches, shapes international
oil markets. If Gaddafi falls, these markets will be adversely impacted,
western prosperity fuelled by the oil wealth of the Middle East affected, and
the global economy, still reeling from the aftereffects of recession, plunged
into a tailspin. Arab despots are finally answering to history. Will history
also take to task the supporters and beneficiaries of their rule? *
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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