A Look Back: The Death of Gaddafi
Looking back on the year, one event really stood out to me as an implication for change in society. When Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was killed in October of 2011, the Libyan transitional government were not the only people rejoicing. Swamped by years of corruption and instability, much of Libya had recently been very active in the rebellion against Gaddafi. Many supporters in Libya were relieved to learn of the end of the Colonel, and moreover, the global reaction echoed the strains of hope for democratization.
Democratization has been an umbrella theme ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991. Support for it has fluctuated with economic crises, terrorist attacks, and multiple revolutions around the world. Yet the revolt in Libya revealed that many people still yearn for the liberty and freedom that is often associated with democracy. This is strong evidence for the fact that people have not sunk into complacency, especially in Africa where many people have lost all hope for stability.
I think the death of Gaddafi was indicative of the wave of democracy that still underlies our society today. In truth, people just want freedom from repression. They want to be in control of their own lives. And with the death of Gaddafi and essential success of the rebellion, Libyans have rekindled hopes for the triumph of liberal democracy in other unstable, violent parts of Africa and all over the world.
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Kyra, I also think that the
Kyra,
I also think that the death of Gaddafi was an important moment in history during the last couple of years. Even though he died in October 2011, Libya is still adjusting to the present without him. The attached article is about what elections are like (for the first time in 60 years) since Gaddafi's death. It gives another point of view and shows what the future of Libya may be like and the current political situation with regards to voting in Libya after Gaddafi's reign.