After Gaddafi

Getting rid of Gaddafi--if that is indeed the case--is just a first step on the road to democracy and freedom, a road that has proved to be a long and winding one. Recent experience in that part of the world is not particularly encouraging. Old habits die hard, and supposedly liberal elements are not always what they seem at first glance. We'll have to wait and see if life in Libya improves markedly after Gaddafi is out of the picture, or if a dictator is replaced by mob rule and chaos, in the name of freedom.

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