Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Libya is no Iraq – this revolution is the real deal

Far from being on the brink of another quagmire, if left to it Libya is well placed to be the most successful of the Arab uprisings

Rebel fighters in Libya celebrate the capture of Muammar Gaddafi's compound
Libyan rebels celebrate the capture of Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.

Libya will be another Iraq and Afghanistan, we are told.

They are wrong, because the post-conflict scenario in Libya differs from those two examples of failed western intervention in several crucial aspects. Indeed if you study the indicators, Libya is poised to be the most complete and potentially most successful of any the Arab uprisings so far.

The roots of Iraq and Afghanistan's tragedy lie in the abrupt and imposed nature of change. It's easy to forget that Libya's organic and intense popular uprising preceded any international intervention. UN security council resolution 1973, which authorised the use of force to protect civilians, was only passed when it became clear that a massacre in the east was imminent. This is not Nato's revolution, not by a long way. The Libyan revolution remains very much the real deal.

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