Thursday, October 20th is a day which changed the lives of Libyans forever. Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebels, effectively ending the long and bloody war that devastated Libya. Gaddafi ruled over Libya with an iron fist for most of his life, and for longer than most Libyans have been alive.
It seemed as though Gaddafi would remain in power forever. I remember vaguely learning about the cruel dictator, but he didn’t seem to have the "evil factor" Saddam Hussein did. It appears his reserved approach to the international community allowed him to stay in control and rule Libya ruthlessly for over 40 years. This domestic emphasis left the rest of the international community almost oblivious due to major powers turning a blind eye.
As soon as conflict broke out across the Middle East it was not too farfetched that this issue in Libya would arise. The oil deposits throughout the region are deep and the uncertain nature of their status and availability to the rest of the world has proven volatile in the markets. Perhaps with this event stability will come to the markets and the torn nation of Libya.
The most interesting difference in the case of Libya, relative to Egypt, is that Hosni Mubarak eventually stepped down to live a comfortable lifestyle, while Gaddafi fought till the death. It will be interesting to see how each country develops coming out of these struggles given the nature of their conflicts and their leaders demise.
Taraz DarabiAny source
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