I’ve been quiet as epochal events have developed in Libya. Suffice it to say that I am cautiously optimistic — Moammar Gaddafi has been bad for Libya, bad for North Africa (ask Chadians about what Libya has meant to them over the year) and especially bad for Pan Africanism, a creed he embraced only after his particular Pan Arab vision fell apart and that always was more about his ego than about unifying Africans and their interests.
I answered some questions on the ongoing Libya crisis for Ivana Kvesic, a reporter for The Christian Post. Here is the article. The ego gratifying part of the article:
The Christian Post turned to a Derek Catsam, a Senior Blogger on African Affairs with the Foreign Policy Association, to ask just that question.
Catsam stated, “We will not know for quite some time if it (the ousting of Gaddafi) is a victory for democracy.”
He continued, “It does pave the way for democratic possibilities in the future, but we should not be premature in overstating what this means. We’re on the verge of overthrowing the devil we know. Hopefully we are setting the conditions for removing devilry entirely.”
Respect for the human rights of the Libyan people, particularly Gaddafi loyalists, will be another relevant factor that will be significant to watch in the coming months.
Catsam told CP that he believes that the world should focus on the long-term impact of regime change because in the shot-term human rights abuses are likely to flourish in an environment of conflict.
He stated, “Hopefully the removal of Gaddafi’s regime means that we have created conditions that will allow for greater human rights and democracy to flourish. On the whole I think we should be wary of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. In and of itself, removing a megalomaniac from power has to be seen as a good thing. It’s just too soon to know what comes next, and what comes next is pretty important.”
Please go read the whole thing.