Libya: Post Qaddafi

The first article, “Libya in shock after murder of human rights activist Salwa Bugaighis,” posted on The Guardian, is about the murder of Salwa Bugaighis. She was stabbed and shot through the head by gunmen who also abducted her husband. Her and her husband are a reminder of the growing number of extremists taking over Libya. Salwa was a part of the National Transitional Council, but left after accusing it of freezing-out female members. She also opposed moves to make the wearing of the hijab compulsory, and her views brought her into conflict with the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist extremists. What I found typical about Salwa’s death is that she was fighting for human rights, especially women’s rights, which has correlation with western idea’s. Because Western idea’s are shunned in this region, it is not surprising that she was murdered.

The second article, “Gaddafi died 3 years ago. Would Libya be better off if he hadn’t?” posted on Washington Times, is about Libya after Gaddafi. The article discusses whether or not Libya would have been better off if Qaddafi had not been killed and it said “probably not.” The article mentions that the real issue is not Qaddafi’s death, but why the international community neglected post-conflict reconstruction. The article says that because Libya is a resource rich country, and is close to Europe, it had pretty good chances of making a smooth transition to peace and stability. I found it most interesting that the article points out the neglect of the international community to aid in post-conflict reconstruction. I wonder how difficult it would be for a country like Europe to come in and help establish a base for Libya. It seems like the author did not take into consideration that Libya had been under Qaddafi regime for almost 50 years.

These articles remind me of the author who said “no” to forcing democratization, because it increases war, sectarianism, terrorism. Salwa was promoting human rights for women in a country whose cultural base does not support it. I also find that the second article forgets to reflect on the lack of institutional preconditions needed for democracy to function effectively. Libya’s rule of law is poorly established and elections are rigged. It is not as easy for Europe to come into Libya and establish order and peace when there is so much building to be done.