The Libyan 'Kadhastrophe'

Bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and snuggled between Tunisia and Egypt at the coastline, Libya was obviously next in line for a social revolution. No longer are the peoples of this world isolated by mountains, valleys, oceans, and man-made borders. No longer is distance a barrier to interpersonal interaction. It would, therefore, be utterly unreasonable to expect that insulating any culture, country, or people is feasible. Belief structures and 'cultures' have been irrevocably altered by the melding of thoughts, ideas, hopes, and dreams transmitted by entertainment, information technology, and social networking.

A country can subjugate and isolate its citizens in order to achieve an artificially sustained politico-culture and thus commit itself to the slow and painful death that stagnation inevitably brings. Or, in order to survive, it can open itself up to the rest of the world and submit gracefully to the inevitable changes that will ensue.

Libya has been through many transitions. In ancient times, it was inhabited by nomadic hunter gatherers - the hardy Berber tribes. Ancient Libya was ruled, in part or in totality, by the Phoenicians/Carthaginians, Romans/Byzantine Empire, Greeks, Vandals (an East Germanic tribe), Arabs, and Turks.

The Ottoman Turks were displaced by the Italians, in the area around Tripoli, in 1911. It wasn't until the Italians were defeated in World War II (1943) that Libya passed to United Nations administration. It became independent on December 24, 1951. From its independence until 1969, Libya was ruled by its first and only monarch, Idris (Sidi Muhammad Idris Al-Mahdi As-sanusi). Idris ruled his poverty-stricken people like an old-fashioned, un-democratic king until 1969 when, while he was visiting Turkey, he was overthrown in a bloodless military coup led by 27-year old Captain Muammar al-Gaddafi (sometimes spelled Gadhafi, Gadafi, Gadafy, Ghaddafi, Ghaddafy, Gheddafi, Kadafi, Kaddafi, Kadhafi, Kazzafi, Khadaffi, Khadafy, Khaddafi, Qadafi, Qaddafi, Qadhafi, Qadhdhafi, Qatafi, Qathafi, Quathafi, Q'udafi or Qudhafi).

Terrorism links

With an area of 1,759,540 sq km (compared to Jamaica's 10,991), and a population of about 6,597,960 (compared to our 2,868,380), Libya is more than 90 per cent desert or semi-desert and only has 1.03 per cent arable land. The combination of the discovery of major oil reserves in 1959, and the eccentric Colonel Gaddafi has led Libya down a divergent path. That (97 per cent) Muslim country was listed as a state sponsor of international terrorism.

Between its support of international terrorism, the LaBalla Disco bombing in Berlin (1986), the retaliatory US bombing of Tripoli and the Benghazi region (1986), the infamous downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland (1988), a United Nations-approved sanction and embargo in 1992, and too-numerous-to-mention rants by Gaddafi, Libya was blacklisted by the West. Gaddafi rejoined the international community when he gave up the Lockerbie suspects for trial (one was convicted), accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing, eventually renounced terrorism, and voluntarily turned over his cache of nuclear technology material.

Since February 15, 2011, Gaddafi's Libya has been experiencing an uprising. Gaddafi continues to assert that 'his' people love him, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Libyan citizens have been killed and several sites bombed by Libyan forces. Now, Libya's international partners are pleading for restraint and threatening to impose no-fly zones, sanctions and, perhaps, direct attacks.

Moammar al-Gaddafi is one of the longest ruling non-royal leaders in history (more than 41 years). His warped perceptions, ideations, methods and tenacity earned him several derogatory nicknames in the past. However, now they only spell catastrophe for a nation undergoing yet another transition as its people yearn to be free to chart their own course in this modern world.

Garth A. Rattray is a physician with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.