After Gadhafi: The U.S. appears on the hook for rebuilding Libya
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The death Thursday of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the fall of Sirte, the last stronghold of his loyalist forces, constituted an important milestone both for Libya and American involvement in the struggle there.
The insurrection against Mr. Gadhafi's 42 years of rule, which began in March and was backed by U.S. and other NATO forces with thousands of air and drone strikes, was a long, hard battle. It claimed thousands of Libyan lives and destroyed a considerable part of the country's infrastructure.
For Libya and, unfortunately, the United States, the battle is not over. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Libya Tuesday, renewing U.S. pledges of nation rebuilding to the new Libyan authorities, represented by an unelected interim national council. The U.S. commitment involves $135 million, including $40 million to try to retrieve the surface-to-air missiles that the rebels liberated from the Gadhafi military's armories across the country, some of which are probably already for sale in Middle East arms markets.
It is hard to think of the United States committing large amounts of money to rebuild Libya while serious infrastructure needs exist at home, such as Pennsylvania's bridges, according to a new report this week. Continued U.S. involvement in Libya is even harder to accept when President Barack Obama took America into that war without seeking the congressional approval required by the War Powers Resolution.
Thursday's events -- the taking of Sirte by the rebels and the apparent death of Mr. Gadhafi -- were critical for Libya. The change of government is now complete, at least in military terms. The fact that Mr. Gadhafi won't be around, in an untaken part of Libya or in exile somewhere, means that the new government can concentrate on solving its problems.
First Published October 21, 2011 12:00 am
