On the 11th of February the first signs of a protest against the repressive regime of Mohamar Gadhafi broke out in support of the release of Fathi Terbil, a human rights lawyer representing some of the families of more than one thousand prisoners slaughtered by the Libyan regime 15 years ago. Following the Benghazi protests, demonstrations erupted across Libya demanding that Gadhafi end his regime of brutal repression and step down.
The response was swift and brutal. Civilians were gunned down by the army and attacked from the air by helicopter gunships and jet attack aircraft. Tanks were employed at point blank range to fire on protestors and after Friday prayers in a Tripoli mosque worshipers were slaughtered in the streets with machine gun fire.
Even for Gadhafi this response was over the top. Many of his diplomats around the world abandoned the regime and called for the international community to intervene. Time and again they reiterated that they represented the people of Libya and not the tyrant who was ruthlessly engaged in attacking his own people with the full power of his military might. Enemies of the regime, real and imagined, were given no quarter or mercy as injured and wounded were dragged out of hospitals and shot.
For an interminable four weeks the world debated about the course of action to be taken while Gadhafi regrouped and organized his mercenary force to savage his people. President Obama called for Gadhafi to step down then did nothing more. Prime Minister Cameron and president Sarkozy called for the establishment of a no fly zone to prevent war planes from attacking civilians. Defense Secretary Gates said that it would be difficult and an act of war to deny the Libyan armed forces to use their air space.
As the world watched in horror, Hugo Chavez and his cronies leapt to the defense of Gadhafi leaving no one in any doubt about what his own course of action would be should the Venezuelan people decide to vote in the streets against him.
Finally, at the 11th hour, with the Arab League and much of Europe calling for intervention, President Obama reversed course and supported a resolution in the Security Council of the United Nations to establish a no fly zone and to use other means to secure the safety of the Libyan people as the noose was tightening around the last remaining rebel stronghold.
In an act of duplicitous desperation the Libyan Foreign Minister declared that they were going to observe an immediate cease fire to avoid intervention by the Arab League and NATO. That could be likened to a pit bull wagging his tail and bowing subserviently to his adversary before striking for the jugular.
Much of the loss of life, pain and suffering could have been avoided if more decisive action were taken earlier. The dithering and fiddling has cost may lives and now places many more at risk. Let us hope that even at this late hour decisive action will now see the back of an ogre who has brutalized his people, participated in acts of terrorism and destabilized countries in the region.
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