Gaddafi’s tumble signals new challenges ahead

For decades, it has been Muammar Gaddafi’s conceit that he abolished the conventional state and replaced it with an organic system that empowered the masses.

Now those masses are fast rising up against him, in the process demonstrating how destructive his rule has been.

Far from creating concrete institutions, he swept away the very little the country possessed in the way of civil society and political tradition.

But after a half-year of fighting and a final lightning advance, Libyan rebels streamed into the capital Tripoli on Sunday night.

It was greeted by eruptions of euphoria and scenes of jubilant Libyans tearing down posters of the “Supreme Guide of the Revolution,” the longest reigning dictator in the Arab world. Indeed, this is a source of great anxiety as his senile system falters.

The death throes of Gaddafi’s more than four-decade rule testify to the struggle of the Libyan people, whose courage in the face of tyranny we applaud.

There is also the leadership of British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Nato head Anders Rasmussen who showed faith in the tenacity of the rebels. This strong team, helped avert an atrocity.

As the regime draws ever closer to collapse, these leaders’ principle of intervention comes out looking far better in retrospect than the “lead from behind” doctrine of the Barack Obama administration, which was slow in responding to the crisis.

The US was unenthusiastic and irresolute to engage and wished as quickly as possible to hand off the mission to its European allies, but kept a foot in through Nato.

 

End of story

 

But as the US learned the hard way in Iraq and Afghanistan, toppling a repressive regime is by no means the end of the story. As a new beginning in Libya is contemplated, a different question urgently presses forth: what next?

Reconstruction will be fraught with challenges. Feuding among the rebels already led to the killing of their commander, last month. How can they avoid repeating the mistakes of Gaddafi?