Goodbye and good riddance, Gadhafi

We don't relish anyone's death, but for Moammar Gadhafi passing we'd be tempted to make an exception. The long-time dictator of this Arab country got his just desserts after holding his people in virtual bondage for most of his four-decade long reign, slaughtering thousands of his citizens over that time and pledging to slay even more when Libyans rose up in rebellion earlier this year as the Arab Spring in other countries boosted their confidence.

Back in March, when President Barack Obama joined with other leaders and countries to push for a United Nations no-fly zone, airstrikes and "all means necessary" to halt the dictator's bloody assault against his own people, our editorial praised those moves as necessary and humane. They proved to be a great aid to the rebels’ success.

But even after Gadhafi's regime was toppled in late summer, he continued fighting back from outpost to outpost. We were reminded of something that Duke University political science professor Peter Feaver said when the no-fly zone was put in place. He said the wily Gadhafi was "not without options." Feaver, who served on the National Security Council under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, said Gadhafi could consolidate forces and halt rebel advances. "It could take months to really bring him to his knees, " Feaver said.

It did. But it didn't take U.S. troops on the ground, as some feared, or loss of U.S. lives.
The U.S. can't and shouldn't intervene in every humanitarian crisis. But where it can, working in collaboration with other countries and with minimal U.S. footprint, if possible, it should. Obama had the right arguments for intervention last March: there was the capacity to prevent imminent harm to Libyans with little risk to U.S. forces; there were willing international partners, including Arab nations; and there were possible negative spillover effects of inaction, including encouraging other dictators to conclude that repression is the best strategy.

Moammar Gadhafi's death isn't the end of the story in Libya. What happens next - who the new leaders are, how the country comes together now that Gadhafi is dead, and what the country's relationships are with others in the region and the world - is vital. But today, it's welcome news that Gadhafi is gone - for good.

Fannie Flono