Libyan Civil War – Almost Over?
The remnant of Gaddafi’s forces have gathered in the town of Sirte. It is the last stand of the war. Will there be a battle, a siege or a quick surrender? It is too early to tell. There seem to be reports coming out that the rebels, that hodgepodge group of malcontents, have begun to kill some of those who have been captured. After all, the conflict was primarily of a tribal nature and not political. It is like the conditions that existed in Iraq under Hussein. One tribe holding most, if not all, of the power. The Sunni Muslims against the Shia Muslims and other disenfranchised groups.
We in the west think that there is a move afoot to bring true democracy to that repressive regime. That the removal of the dictator will usher in a time of peace and prosperity. If Iraq is any example we should expect a greater sectarian divide. We should also look forward to the increased persecution of minorities within their borders. After all, under the new Iraqi regime, the Christian population was harassed, beaten, bombed and killed with impunity by the new light of understanding that flowed from above. The Christian population has dropped from two million to about five hundred thousand as many flee oppression. Are other groups also suffering? I do not know for the voices are most likely silenced.
Oh, there will be an election in Libya, eventually. A new constitution will be drafted which will include Sharia Law as its foundation (even more than it is now). In time women will be demeaned. Christian, Jews and others will be given second class status. The region will come firmly under the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Another building block of the Caliphate will be cemented into place. The West will be placed in a more precarious position. This is just one possibility.
This possibility was not a sure thing while Gaddafi was in power. Dictatorships do not like the Muslim Brotherhood. They are resisted by every government where power flows from one individual. To think that replacing one dictator, while at the same time laying the foundations of a one world Islamic government, is foolhardy and short sighted. The establishing of this one world government, this Caliphate, is the prime objective of the Brotherhood. Its system of rule is Sharia. It is anathema to any freedom loving people.
Our nation and the coalition of the willing, those NATO countries that have joined into a pact to guarantee peace and safety to their freedom loving populace, have entered the war in Libya. They have launched 20,000+ sorties of which 7,000+ were strike sorties. These were done to enforce an arms embargo, establish a no-fly zone, and protect civilians from the threat of attack. Yet the rebels were being supplied with munitions and expertise. Nothing was stopping the West from flying and bombing Gaddafi’s forces. Even when Gaddafi’s troops were withdrawing they didn’t lift a finger to stop civilians/fighters being killed by the rebel forces. This action by NATO, under the political cover of the UN, was not neutral. It had no prospects of peace being negotiated between the grieving parties. It was and is the act of war against a declared enemy. It is not a civil war. It is not a police action. It is a “world war” in miniature.
This war will soon be over and by winning this war we may have shot ourselves in our own foot. Will democracy flourish in Libya? Nothing that we would recognize in our own country. It will be a Muslim Brotherhood vision of Islamic supremacy. Some day we may have to fight that very democracy. Why? Because at their core, their very heart, they want the world under the coming Caliphate and they will take whatever actions are necessary, to bring the conditions about, to make it the reality on this planet we share.
My prayer is that men (and especially women) of courage will stand up in the weeks to come and fight for the establishment of a true democracy, with protections for all and for the equal treatment of all.
If they can muzzle the Muslim Brotherhood then there will reason to hope for a better future.