"This
time, democratic nations stood by the oppressed and against the despot. This
was a signal for all people subject to tyranny: dictatorships don’t go
unpunished; dictators are not immortal."
The corpse of Colonel Moammar Qaddafi, beaten up, shot at and looking much the worse for wear, is now splayed out on the floor of a refrigerated meat locker, an object of scorn and ridicule by the very people he claimed loved him, Oct. 21.
One shouldn't celebrate anyone's
death, even if the person was a tyrant responsible for the suffering of
thousands. The death of Muammar Qaddafi is not, therefore, a cause for me to
rejoice, but rather to ponder the nature of this world in which we live - side
by side with dictators.
Qaddafi appeared
indestructible. He blackmailed and humiliated the entire world. He terrorized
Libyans with the heavy hand of a despot, while reaching an understanding -
after years of conflict - with the world of Western democracy. There were even times
he managed to have European governments come to him on bended knee.
In his long career he had
stints as a conspirator and sower of an Islamic "green" revolution, which
he later abandoned. But he has always been a dictator. He believed in violence
and lies and reckoned that this would suffice. His calculations proved wrong. The
dictator’s subjects finally realized it was time to say: enough!
And that was the end of
Qaddafi. Having the army by his side he long resisted, as does the still-ruling
dictator of Syria. And he would have resisted still if it were not for the
military intervention of France and Britain supported by other nations. This
time, democratic nations stood by the oppressed and against the despot. This
was a signal for all people subject to tyranny: dictatorships don’t go
unpunished; dictators are not immortal.
Although they may be an
indelible element of our times, their collapse is just as indelible. The fall
of a dictatorship may come through negotiations and democratic reform; but it may
also come through violence and bloody revenge.
Dictators should carefully
study the lessons of the Arab Spring. Some, like the regime in Burma, have
begun a cautious opening toward the democratic opposition. A similar process is
going on in Morocco. Elsewhere, however, such as in the country of our
neighbors [Belarus] which is ruled by Lukashenka - dictators still believe they
can act with impunity and live forever. And Ukrainian President Yanukovych has
begun to follow in Lukashenka’s footsteps.
They are just as badly misguided
as was Qaddafi. We must wish them to come to a better end than their Libyan
colleague. That is something we should wish for ourselves, too. Violence begets
violence, hate begets hate, and vengeance begets vengeance.
I do not believe in a world
without hate. After all, we're no angels. I do believe, however, that every
dictatorship has its end. These are moments of satisfaction for the defenders
of freedom.
