Painful Price of Forging a Democratic Era

Libyans protesters want to remove a leader in place for more than 40 years, yet unlike Egypt or Tunisia, Libya confronts civil war rather than a peaceful transition, explains Roula Khalaf, Middle East editor for the Financial Times. Muammar Gaddafi unleashes military attacks on his own people, seeking to retain his grip over Libya’s oil and economy. In Tunisia and Egypt, leaders had relatively good relations with the West, and their militaries declined to attack the protesters. Gaddafi, on the other hand, has long been a thorn on the side of the West, accused of aiding terrorist activities and bombing passenger plane Pan-Am 103 in 1988. Despite recent overtures to the US and UK, Gaddafi was quick to denounce a proposed no-fly zone as international meddling. The struggle exposes the challenges for protesters and the international community that ultimately wants regional stability. Pressures for reforms will continue, Khalaf notes, but Libya’s violent stand-off foreshadows unsettling prospects for Yemen, Bahrain and elsewhere in the Middle East. – YaleGlobal