Early Post-War Results

Juan Cole is always good for understanding the Middle East, Arab and Islamic cultures. His observation on the outcome in Libya sounds about right to me.

Libya is nowhere near the mess that France was after its revolution in 1789, and there is nothing like a Vendee or a Terror. There hasn’t been a civil war, though there are still a few pockets of insecurity. Those hoping for bad news really haven’t had all that much considering that the country had been left with no functioning institutions after decades of personalistic Qaddafi totalitarianism.

Libyans are truly at ground zero, starting a journey filled with opportunity and all sorts of risks to that opportunity. After Qaddafi Libyans will, I hope, recognize those risks and build a society based on social and economic justice.