Colonel Gaddafi Assassinated: End of An Era in Libya

Sixty-nine-year-old deposed dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a maverick who had ruled Libya with an iron hand for 42 years, was on 20 October shot and killed by the rebels in his hometown of Sirte after the revolutionary forces overran his last bastion.
The longest-serving leader in the African and Arab world, Gaddafi died of his wounds after being captured from a hole where he had been hiding in Sirte, a rebel commander said, adding there was a lot of firing and he was also hit in his head.
"Muammar Gaddafi has been killed," Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said in a news conference in the capital Tripoli.
Gaddafi's son Mutassim and Defence Minister Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr were also found dead in Sirte, the last major bastion of resistance two months after the regime fell in August.
Known for his flamboyant dressing style and gun-toting female bodyguards as much as for his iron clasp over the country, Gaddafi had been holed up with the last of his fighters in the furious battle with revolutionary fighters assaulting the last few buildings they held in his Mediterranean coastal hometown of Sirte. At one point, a convoy tried to flee the area and was blasted by NATO airstrikes, though it was not clear if Gaddafi was in the vehicle.
Sirte’s fall caps weeks of heavy, street—by—street fighting as revolutionary fighters besieged the Mediterranean coastal city. Despite the fall of Tripoli on 21 August, Gaddafi loyalists mounted fierce resistance in several areas, including Sirte, preventing Libya’s new leaders from declaring full victory in the eight-month civil war. Earlier this week, revolutionary fighters gained control of one stronghold.
Life of Gaddafi
Born in the desert in 1942, Gaddafi, at the age of only 29, became the leader of a small group of junior army officers who in September 1969 staged a bloodless coup, overthrowing King Idris while he was abroad for medical treatment. Fiercely anti-Western and inspired by Egypt's President Nasser, he governed according to his unique political philosophy — set out in his Green Book — based on a combination of socialism and Arab nationalism.
Gaddafi quickly showed he would brook no dissent to his idiosyncratic rule, reportedly having students who marched against his regime publicly hanged. In one of his most infamous atrocities, 1,200 prisoners were massacred in a Tripoli jail in 1996.
As far as his relations with other nations are concerned, his outspoken public support for a range of terrorist organizations, including the IRA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), attracted growing international criticism and concern.
The increasingly erratic nature of his regime was underlined in 1984 when diplomats at the Libyan embassy in London opened fire on a demonstration outside, killing Yvonne Fletcher.
In 1986, the bombing by Libyan agents of a Berlin nightclub, in which two off-duty American servicemen died, prompted President Reagan to launch air strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi. Gaddafi's adopted daughter was among 35 Libyans killed.
In December 1988, came the most notorious incident of all — the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish village of Lockerbie, killing 270. The attack prompted global outrage. For years Gaddafi denied any involvement, leading to UN sanctions and international pariah status for his regime.
He finally began to emerge from the cold when South African president Nelson Mandela helped to broker a deal which saw two Libyan intelligence officers handed over in 1999 to stand trial before a Scottish court. In 2003, after one of the men had been convicted, the Libyan government wrote to the UNSC formally accepting responsibility for the actions of its officials in the attacks.
Gaddafi's rehabilitation seemed complete when the same year, following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by US and British forces, he admitted that Libya had an active weapons of mass destruction program which he offered to dismantle. In 2004, Tony Blair traveled to Tripoli to welcome the West's new ally in the so-called "War on Terror".
Chronology of Recent Events
15/16 February 2011: The arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel starts a riot in Benghazi.
24 February: Antigovernment militias take control of central coastal city of Misrata after evicting forces loyal to Gaddafi.
26 February: The U.N. Security Council imposes sanctions on Gaddafi and his family, and refers the crackdown on rebels to the International Criminal Court.
28 February: EU governments approve sanctions against Gaddafi and his closest advisers.
5 March: The rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi declares itself Libya's sole representative.
17 March: The UN Security Council votes to authorise a no-fly zone over Libya and military action -- to protect civilians against Gaddafi's army.
19 March: The first air strikes halt the advance of Gaddafi's forces on Benghazi and target Libya's air defences.
30 April: A NATO missile attack on a house in Tripoli kills Gaddafi's youngest son and three grandchildren, his government says.
27 June: The ICC issues arrest warrants for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity.
21 August: Rebels enter Tripoli with little resistance. Gaddafi makes audio addresses over state television calling on Libyans to fight off the rebel "rats".
23 August: The rebels overrun Gaddafi's fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, trashing the symbols of his rule.
29 August: Gaddafi's wife, his daughter Aisha and two of his sons enter Algeria. Aisha Gaddafi gives birth in a clinic in a border town hours after crossing the frontier.
1 September: Libya's interim rulers meet world leaders at a conference in Paris to discuss reshaping Libya. Gaddafi, on the 42nd anniversary of his coming to power, urges his supporters to fight on.
8 September: Interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril arrives in Tripoli on his first visit since it was taken by his forces.
11 September: Libya starts producing oil again. Niger says Gaddafi's son Saadi has arrived there.
13 September: Interim government chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil makes his first speech in Tripoli to a crowd of about 10,000.
15 September: France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's David Cameron land in Libya to a heroes' welcome.
16 September: The UN Security Council eases sanctions on Libya, including on its national oil company and central bank. The UN General Assembly approves a request to accredit interim government envoys as Libya's sole representatives at the United Nations, effectively recognizing the NTC.
20 September: US President Barack Obama calls for the last of Gaddafi's loyalist forces to surrender as he announces the return of the U.S. ambassador to Tripoli. Gaddafi taunts NATO in a speech broadcast by Syrian-based Arrai television station.
21 September: The interim rulers say they have captured most of Sabha, one of three main towns where Gaddafi loyalists have been holding out since the fall of Tripoli. Gaddafi's birthplace Sirte and the town of Bani Walid continue to resist.
25 September: The first Libyan crude oil to be shipped in months sails from the eastern port of Marsa el Hariga for Italy.
27 September: NATO says Libya's interim rulers have taken full control of the country's stockpile of chemical weapons and nuclear material.
12 October: Government fighters capture Gaddafi's son Mo'tassim after he tried to escape Sirte.
13 October: NTC forces say they have control of the whole of Sirte except neighborhood 'Number Two' where Gaddafi forces are surrounded.
14 October: Gunfights break out in Tripoli between Gaddafi supporters and NTC forces, the first sign of armed resistance to the new government.
17 October: NTC forces celebrate the capture of Bani Walid, one of the final bastions of Gaddafi loyalists.
-- A Syrian television station confirms Gaddafi's son Khamis died in fighting southeast of Tripoli on 29 August.
18 October: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Libya on an unannounced visit, urges militias to unite.
20 October: NTC fighters capture Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, ending a two-month siege and extinguishing the last significant hold out of troops loyal to the deposed leader.
Assessment
With the fall of the Gaddafi, who came to power in a bloodless coup against King Idris in 1969 when he was a 27-year-old army captain, Libya has become another case of regime change since the start of the popular unrest that broke out in the Arab world this past January and February. Libya’s regime had been led by the Gaddafi family. Despite the fact that Gaddafi took power via a military coup, he did not allow a robust and autonomous military institution that could pose a threat to his authority to develop. This practice, however, seems to have resulted in sizeable defections from the Libyan army, sparking a civil war.
The crisis in Libya may play itself out over a long period of time. The country’s geopolitical reality is one where the crisis within the country can continue to evolve without seriously impacting the region or beyond. Meanwhile, the de facto government of new Libya, the NTC, has been feted in Paris by more than 60 nations and international organizations. The NTC presented its plans for nation-building to the international community and the rest of the world pledged to help the new government in meeting urgent needs and begin the formation of a functioning governing authority.

Civil Unrest, Rekindled Nationalism in Libya

The Libyan revolutionaries captured the country's capital Tripoli with a crushing force. Three sons of the Libyan tyrant Colonel Muammar Gaddafi who made up a last-ditch fight were seized one after another. Now the revolutionaries are stepping up their hunt for Gaddafi while taking over the control of Libya's economic lifelines. This indeed marks the death of "the era of Gaddafi". Although Gaddafi still tries hard to turn the tide, he has lost his control over the country. The name of Gaddafi may become obsolete soon.
Under the coordination of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Transitional National Council formed by the anti-Gaddafi alliance is now gradually taking over the ruling power. This has not only realigned the political forces in Libya, but has also added an uncertain variable to the new order of Middle East, which is yet to be established. This variable may be in the form of what predicted by the US State Secretary Hillary Clinton -- an Iraq-style civil unrest in Libya. But it could be in the form of the resurrection of nationalism in Middle Eastern tribes as well. The fanatic nationalism may replace the tyrant politics and start to expand its external influence again. Whichever scenario it is going to turn out, the situation in Libya worries the outsiders a lot.
What worries us the most now is the rekindled nationalism among the public in Middle East. The emergence of nationalism almost coincides with the collapse of the tyrant rule. Nationalism has timely filled in the blank in the people's hearts after the downfall of the tyrant politics. In countries used to be ruled by tyrants like Iraq, Tunisia, and Egypt, nationalism has helped the people found their new starting point. However, the over emphasis on nationalism may cause new commotion. Another concern is the anti-Gaddafi alliance because we could see the shadow of Gaddafi cast upon the alliance. Under this shadow, we do not see any candidate who can replace him at the moment yet. This is why many Western people have predicted that after the downfall of Gaddafi, Libya will plunge into an internal strife, which will be more sinister and destructive than that in Iraq. The hatred and violent confrontation between tribes may lead the country to a crisis of separation.
It is beyond doubt how the weapons of mass destruction and bio-chemical weapons possessed by Libya could influence the balance of powers in Middle East. Therefore, a pressing mission for the gulf countries now is to rebuild the "natural equilibrium" of Middle East. Countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France have called on Gaddafi to hand over his power the soonest possible, so that the Transitional National Council led by Mahmoud Jibril can take over the administration temporarily. This is not only related to how fast Libya can be consolidated, this is also related to the establishment of the equilibrium in Middle East. If a political and economic alliance can be established and the different tribes in the country can agree and come out with a consistent diplomatic policy in the post-Gaddafi Libya, then it is possible that we will see a power balance between the Libyan alliance and other Arabic countries. If Libya is unable to establish such a political and economic alliance at the moment, then the country should develop some form of negotiation mechanism among the many tribes in the country to ensure the security in Libya itself, as well as in Middle East. This kind of arrangement of the power structure is rather similar to the equilibrium in Europe in the 19th century, but at the same time, this is indeed the direction of the development of our history today.
Disintegration in Arab World
In addition to diplomatic arrangement, the West should also find way to mitigate the shocks caused during the disintegration process in Iraq, Tunisia, and Egypt by tackling from the perspective of internal affairs. The West has hoped to see Middle East transit from tyrant politics. However, the changes have been too speedy for the West to handle. We have even observed the panic and confusion of the West as they are unable to be on top of these changes. Initially Russia opposed to the call of the United States and Europe that demanded Gaddafi to step down. But the country changed its mind in late July and called on Gaddafi to step down the soonest possible. This is an example of how some have failed to have a good command of the situation. This is why the West should get in touch with the revolutionaries as soon as possible to learn about their thoughts, to provide them the necessary aids, to appease the grudge among the tribes, and to prevent another civil war from breaking out.
Deterioration of Country’s Economy
The deterioration of the Libyan economy triggered the movement that eventually toppled the Gaddafi regime. However, the deteriorated economy would not get improved as an immediate result of the collapse of the tyrant politics or the rise of nationalism. What would the Libyan people do when they realize nationalism is not going to bring them warm winter?
Perhaps some would get frustrated; but it is more likely that some would advocate Fascist and nationalist dictatorship and attack the West for bringing the Libyan economy into trouble. They may impute the economic problems to the West and a series of civil wars may break out between tribes in support of Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi tribes.
Role of International Community
Thus, what the whole international community should do today is to think of how to address the issue based on the fact of the power vacuum in Libya. For the West, the United States especially, the current pressing task is to understand and handle the changing state of affairs in Libya by employing a new framework. The new framework has to cover both the internal affairs and diplomatic fronts. In relation to internal affairs, they should establish communication channels with all tribes in Libya to be on top of the situation. At the same time, they should offer economic aids as soon as possible to help the Libyan people get through the coming severe winter and prevent Fascism or civil wars from breaking out.
Diplomatically, they should try to reestablish the equilibrium to prevent the expansion of the Arabic nationalism. For the entire international community, handling the changing state of affairs in Libya is like managing an international crisis. It is the greatest challenge to the political wisdom and resolution of the Western world as to whether or not they can handle this crisis in an appropriate manner and whether or not they can prevent the predicted disaster.