His Final Moments

For a man who once described himself as the “King of the Kings in Africa”, Gaddafi’s final moments were humiliating. As he was pulled from a drain where he was captured, you can see the humiliation he faced. His reckoning had found him.The people who surrounded him, firing weapons in the air and shouting “God is great”, he was about to meet his end. This article suggests that Gaddafi should have met his end in Sirte, the city most closely associated with his dictatorial rule. Sirte is where Gaddafi created his second capital. As fighters broke through defenses, Gaddafi would soon be dead.

 

Would Libya be better off with Gaddafi?

An article from The Washington Post poses a question about whether or not the country of Libya, now entrenched in civil war, would be better off if Gaddafi was still alive. His death was humiliating and lacked any dignity, but many people suggest that is what he deserved. The Post says that his death was a landmark, but after three years of fighting, they don’t think it was a good landmark.  Fighting is split between regional militias, Arab nationalist, Islamists and more. An Irish journalist suggests that many Libyans would have rather seen him meet his justice inside a court room, and that that may have helped the transitional government, and not lead to the civil war that they are facing.

 

Reflection:

Gaddafi’s end was gruesome. I have seen the video multiple times, and although you don’t see the moment of his death, you see the humiliation he was in. I had never even heard of Gaddafi before the US and NATO  intervened in Libya, and they didn’t have the intention of him being killed. But as soon as he was killed, I began doing some light research on him, and saw all of the things he did to his own people. Honestly, when I saw the video after I read a little about him, I thought it would be a good thing for Libya, I don’t know if anyone thought that his death would lead to such volatility in the region. And I had never once considered whether or not it was the right thing to do. But the question posed by the Irish journalist is an intriguing one. How different would Libya be today? Would they still be at war with each other? I don’t know if anyone can really answer that question, but it is very interesting.