The implosion of Libya with inter-militia wars has almost snuffed out the hope that dawned in 2011 after the ouster of Gaddafi. This should be of deep concern to the world, says the media. Instead of deserting it at a time like this, nations should find a way to make mediation work.
The Washington Post attributes Libya’s mess to the West’s expert mishandling of the situation. Says its editorial, “Three years after US and Nato forces helped liberate Libya from the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi, the country is beginning to look a lot like another nation where an abrupt US disengagement following a civil war led to chaos: Afghanistan in the 1990s.
“Having tipped the outcome of the war against the Gaddafi regime, Nato quickly exited Libya, which was left with no army or political institutions but was awash in weapons. Repeated Libyan requests for assistance in restoring security were brushed off; a small-scale Nato training programme based outside the country was little more than symbolic. As in the case of Afghanistan, Congress rejected the Obama administration’s aid requests.”
The Washington Examiner censures Obama for the Libyan mess. “With world and media attention focused on Gaza, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine, Libya is now collapsing – and it’s hardly a surprise,” it says. “Obama tried to fight a ‘clean war’ that would require no follow-up, and instead helped create a failed state and a host of new related problems.”
Libya, it says, has become a regional arms-smuggling centre. “Terrorist groups and rival militias are using heavy artillery against each other and the government.” Also, the American people are tired of the US’s lengthy military occupations of foreign countries. “Multiple polls now suggest that Americans of every political stripe have had it with lengthy military occupations of foreign countries. That’s understandable, but as long as US presidents unilaterally traipse around the world without prior legislative authorisation, odds are there will be more such occupations. Be careful what you buy,” it concludes.
The Orange County Register goes bleak in its editorial: “Libya’s proximity to Europe makes it something of a special case because anything that threatens Europe’s fragile economies could send the world economy into another tailspin. Nevertheless, there’s little indication that America has the will or the talent necessary to engage in the gruelling, semicolonial work of guiding a civil war toward a workable peace. President Obama may have gotten us into this mess, and many of us don’t have the stomach for trying to find a way out.”
The Libyan crisis prompts Toronto’s Globe and Mail to rally for international assistance for the country; Its editorial says, “Canada has become the latest in a long line of countries to withdraw its diplomatic staff from Tripoli, as Libya continues its descent into chaos. It’s impossible to fault Ottawa, or other Western countries, for pulling their people back... [However], Libya must not be allowed to continue its stagger towards failed-state status. Three years ago, Canada played a key role in a UN-backed intervention to dislodge Muammar Gaddafi’s 42-year-long dictatorship. Canada and other Western countries that rushed to Libya’s aid not long ago should consider doing so again – but in a different way. Militarily, Libyan state security forces could be bolstered with trainers. Given its experience in Afghanistan, Canada is particularly well-suited to offer support.”
Over in The Philippines, the plight of Filipino expatriates in Libya is the top concern. In an editorial titled Die today, Die tomorrow, Same Die, the Sun.Star of Davao, “...more than 11,000 Filipinos in Libya have opted to stay put instead of take the ferry home amid a brewing civil war. Only 800 have agreed to go home, this despite the carnage and incessant bombings happening there. There are around 13,000 Filipinos working in Libya, most of whom have chose to work abroad because of lack of job opportunities in the Philippines. Our hearts can just bleed at (their) plight, and how carnage and bombs are better prospects than their life here in the Philippines.”
The Libyan conflict is troubling Malta for a different reason - trade. Says the Times of Malta.com, ”For more than one reason, what is happening in Libya today is of immediate interest to Malta. The setback in efforts at building a new Libya following the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime may cast a dark spell on the country’s morale. Except for one occasion, Malta has always had good relations with Libya.
“The dispute, in the early 1970s, over offshore oil exploration rights in an area contested by both countries has long been made up by greater friendly relations and collaboration between the two countries. Malta’s support to the people at the time of Gaddafi’s overthrow was tangible evidence of where the island stood when it came to choose between backing a dictatorial regime and standing up for people’s rights.”
The editorial points to Malta’s €60-€70 million investment in Libya, saying, “This is not a fantastic figure, but for Malta it is not insignificant either.” It urges the government to update businessmen regularly so that “they can make up their mind about whether it is worth staying the course or pull out.”
