Yes, Qaddafi is a horror, but...

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), Apr 17, 2011 at 18:34

Dr. Pipes, every word you write about Qaddafi is probably absolute truth, including the "but"s and "maybe"s. The man was a thug from the get-go, and, worse yet, the Soviets' thug from the day he took power down to 1991. His aid and comfort to terrorism everywhere from Belfast to the Bataan Islands is well-known, and a good reason why his gray hairs should not go down to the grave in peace.

However, does the USA have any allies in the Libyan civil war? I think not. Eastern Libya, where the rebellion started, has long been a hotbed for radical Islamic terrorism and support for Qaida. I believe that you yourself have observed this in some of your posts. We have no business saving those people from Qaddafi; nor, in the name of shoring up governments against chaos, should we support Qaddafi.

The best policy towards the current ferment in the Arab world is to let it run its course. If various Arab governments have failed to uphold their end of the social contract with their peoples, the USA cannot change that. And, for us to lecture the Muslim Arab street, after our esteemed Madame Secretary Hillary Clinton, that "Democratic" revolutions must not fall into intolerance, well, maybe that just reveals how little our leaders know about that part of the world. The wisest policy would be to simply wait and see--although, alas, the time for that passed the minute the Obama administration committed US air power to protecting Libyan rebel positions.

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