Update: Libya

It's an Arab Spring thing.  A revolution brought forward by tribal, ethnic, religious disputes and resentments.  An unruly collective of ill-armed but enthusiastic groups clamouring for 'freedom' and 'liberty' and 'democracy', those inevitable catch-words that resonate so strongly in the consciousness of the West and whose hearts beat stronger and whose feelings of obligations to those they feel responsible for suddenly erupt in a willingness to stand foursquare and tall, alongside those aspirations.

And so, it was done.  NATO, with the blessing of the United Nations, went in there, with naval vessels prepared to shell the mainland, and member-nation war planes willing and able to bomb Moammar Ghadafi's artillery and military and warplanes on the march to defend and protect their interests from the ravening mob.  And though it took its time, it was, in the end, no contest.

And then, word leaked out that there were problems associated with weapons depots being raided, and their contents being carried off by who-knew-whom?  Some of it, surely, by the rag-tag militias with their tribal and ethnic loyalties and their collective, but disjointed intention of usurping the power of the Ghadafi regime to install a regime of their own choosing that would respect the needs of the people....

Rumours of Islamists and al-Qaeda types lingering in the background, more or less discounted simply because it is rather inconvenient in the heat of a war situation to further complicate loyalties.  And rumours of al-Qaeda affiliates and other Islamist groups with violent jihad intentions wherever they were based helping themselves to the weapons caches, to further their own ambitions.

And those persistent, damning and disturbing rumours of the resisters protesting Gadhafi's regime, imprisoning those whom they accused of supporting that regime.  Imprisoning them, torturing them, killing them.  Now that truly is inconvenient.  Rumours of rape, of human rights violations, of looting, of violence gone completely amok.  Nasty rumours, best left where they belong; unacknowledged.

And now, victory!  The revolution has succeeded, the tyrant is dead, his supporters vanquished, their property and goods somehow vanished, and the Ghadafi family relieved of power, prestige and opportunities to remount another bid for revenge and reinstallation.  All is well that ends well.  Allowing NATO to withdraw with honour and pride.

And now, Libya has become a normal country.  Normal, that is, for a tribal society, rent with division and disagreements, both religious and ethnic.  The militias have remained loyal to themselves; the vision of a unified nation somehow evaporated.  The government has attempted to persuade the armed groups to surrender their weapons. 

The government feels it is time they imposed their authority on the entire country.  The people do, as well.  They chant: "No militias, no brigades, one army, one flag."  Much good will it do them.  Those heavily-armed units continue to occupy government buildings, to patrol the streets, flouting the authority of the new rulers.

The National Transitional Council has politely invited the militia leaders to integrate with the new national police force and army.  The militia leaders appear rather unimpressed.  This is the new, liberated Libya.