Tuesday, August 23, 2011

A Breath of Spring in Tripoli?

Scenes of exhilaration on the streets of Tripoli abound in the world press today. Fouad Ajami, a respected and knowledgeable commentator on the Middle East, is too hard on the Obama Administration's handling of support to the Libyan rebels. He dismissively calls our strategy, "leadership from the back."

I look at it a bit differently. It appears that the regime of a despotic leader who squandered "four decades of a nation's life," has been brought down through a NATO coordinated support mission, with the most important contributions coming from the U.S., and without the shedding of American blood. However it happened, this is a pretty sensible use of our resources to get a good outcome. It beats our usual, "Ready, fire, reconsider" strategies.

Going forward, probably driven by the desire to take credit for domestic political reasons, we still run the risk of putting out feet in our mouths, backing the wrong horse, and throwing money at problems which are not monetary. Let's wait and see, perhaps leading from the back again.

When Gadhafi is found and captured, let's hope that the rebels don't create an undignified and inhumane spectacle. After some photo opportunity, like pulling down a Gadhafi statue in a Tripoli square, the settlement of old scores and grudges will begin. Also, there will be a struggle for primacy among the segments of the rebels. Who will be the face and voice of the new leadership council?

We have to resist our usual tendency to select that person, perhaps because they studied at Harvard. The oil companies, none of which appear to be American, are already lining up to lead the restoration of production capacity. Our not being a leader in this effort is probably a good thing, as it frees us a bit from the accusation that we're all about the black gold.

Even though Gadhafi has robbed the national patrimony, that's now in the past and the nation has to look forward. It will need institution building, tribal power sharing, and assistance in financing and building infrastructure and supplying essential services. We should look, listen and learn as this situation unfolds, and share in the pride of Libya's setting itself free.



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