Why Was Mummar Gadaffi's Oppressive Dictatorship In Libya Unsustainable?

Why Was Mummar Gadaffi's Oppressive Dictatorship In Libya Unsustainable?

Introduction

A dictator known as much for sponsoring international terrorism as his impeccable fashion sense, Libya's self-proclaimed "Guide of the Revolution" took power in a September 1969 military coup which deposed King Idriss. One of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi's first acts as dictator was to rework the calendar and rename all the months. He also published the Green Book -- not really an answer to Mao's Little Red Book, but rather a triad of brief pamphlets on the topics of Democracy, Economics, and Sociology.

Libiyan Revolution

The image of a bloody, topless Colonel Muammar Gaddafi pleading for his life whilst being dragged and humiliated by Libyan revolutionary fighters will perhaps become more memorable than the images of his dead body. The once mighty dictator reduced to a pitiful wreck is already one of the defining images of the 'Arab Spring'.

Amidst all the rightful jubilation of the Libyan people at the end of a terrible era in their history, many questions concerning the treatment of Gaddafi have now arisen. For, without his (famously gold-plated) pistols, Gaddafi was an unarmed 69 year old man when he was killed.

For many around the world, even those who actively supported the Libyan revolution, it was difficult to defend the scenes seen in the videos of Gaddafi's last moments. It is also hard for some to justify the celebrations of the Libyan masses when news of Gaddafi's death emerged, with the implied suggestion being that those celebrating were cheering death.

It is therefore important to note that this should not be seen as the celebration of the death of a man. This is a celebration of closure, a celebration of the end of a dictator, an end to a system that killed thousands and disenfranchised millions, and an end to a deadly civil war. This is a celebration of a new beginning for Libya; one that Libyans hope will bring a fully functioning democracy and a state that is able to provide for its citizens.

Yet questions also arise at the precedent the treatment of Gaddafi, and his apparent extra-judicial execution, is setting for a new Libya. Gaddafi's Libya was rife with human right's abuses, something that the National Transitional Council has promised to wipe out. Should a better start not have been made, then? This is particularly important in light of the continued reports surrounding human rights abuses committed by NTC forces. Whilst these may be understandable in light of the instability of a country emerging out of a 42-year dictatorship without a fully functioning government, Gaddafi's death will certainly add to the arguments of those who say that Libya will not be able to become a democracy.

The treatment of Muammar Gaddafi in the moment before his death, in particular, was worrying. As someone watching from the outside this was the lynching of a desperate, pathetic old man. It is quite clear that it was wrong to kill Gaddafi in this way, and the treatment ...