I woke up to the news this morning that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebel forces in his hometown of Sirte. From Reuters:
Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered on Thursday as fighters battling to complete an eight-month-old uprising against his rule overran his hometown Sirte, Libya's interim rulers said.
If the reports are in fact true – and, after seeing a cell phone picture of what appears to be Gaddafi’s bloodied body, they probably are true – it is definitely a proud and solemn moment for the people of Libya, who have suffered under the brutal tyrant’s heavy hand for over 42 years.
Americans who have supported the international intervention since it began in March have been patting themselves on the back, counting the death of Gaddafi as victory for American foreign diplomacy. And it is. President Obama’s lead from behind policy toward the Libyan revolution has to be a winning won both for Americans and Libyans alike.
But at this pivotal moment in Libya’s nearly 60-year history, it’s important to recognize the initiative and will undertook by the Libyan people in toppling Gaddafi’s longstanding dictatorship.
While reports indicate that Gaddafi’s convoy was struck by NATO air forces, it’s the Libyan people themselves, not the United States or the rest of the international community, who deserve most of the credit for the overthrow – probably the most important and successful outcome of the Arab Spring revolutions thus far.
At this time, it’s still unclear whether Gaddafi was caught or killed in today’s confrontation. If he’s indeed dead, the world is better for it. But if he’s still alive, may he be dragged into a courtroom to face the justice he suppressed for over four decades.