This doesn't bode well.....

[slinky]

Libyan rebels round up black Africans
"Rebel forces and armed civilians are rounding up thousands of black Libyans and migrants from sub-Sahara Africa, accusing them of fighting for ousted strongman Moammar Gadhafi and holding them in makeshift jails across the capital."

"Handling the prisoners is one of the first major tests for the rebel leaders, who are scrambling to set up a government that they promise will respect human rights and international norms, unlike the dictatorship they overthrew."

I'm having trouble working out how arresting people based on skin color and country of origin is holding up a 'promise to respect human rights.'

And there's more:
Foreigners complain of harassment by Libya rebels
"A Ghanaian teacher cowers in his house, certain he will be grabbed at a checkpoint because of his dark skin. Armed rebels detain 19 Ukrainian cooks and oil workers for several days on unsupported claims that they are really snipers for Moammar Gadhafi."

Is this group just going to end up another kind of crappy government? What's the point of revolting against an unfair, power hungry dictator if all you're going to do is use his playbook when you take over? (Oh, right, you get to decide who to pick on and it won't be you & yours....)

Edit: link issues

[T2K]

"Is this group just going to end up another kind of crappy government?"

Very likely. That's the normal result of African revolutions / civil wars / coups. They will be a notable exception if they form a successful, fair and representative government.

Edit - conflicts between Arabs and blacks in northern african nations are not new. A lot of the issues in Sudan revolve around that.

[Morrolan]

what T2K said...

[cromasaig]

Yep, sadly, I'm pretty sure T2K and Morro are right.*

Presumably you're talking about a bunch of people with one common enemy, but a whole range of other beliefs and motivations. Once they actually start working out how to govern, the power struggles are going to be very ugly.

*Sorry, must go and lie down...

[slinky]

News since Gaddafi's death includes: no more laws banning polygamy and Sharia law to be the basis for governing. So, basically it sounds like giant leaps backwards. Great.

Article here

[T2K]

That is about as surprising as the fact that the rebels (who are supported by NATO and who we spent US1Bil helping) shot him in the head within minutes of finding him. That is to say...it's not surprising at all.

We just need to stop having the delusion that nations which, by our definition of civilization, are uncivilized will change. And act accordingly.

[sluggo]

... a successful, fair and representative government.

What's that?

[Fat Bob]

Name a country that does have such a government?

[Mr Oz]

Wahoo Iran must be smiling from ear to ear

Mustafa Abdel Ja­lil, Libya’s interim leader, declared Sunday that post-Gaddafi Libya will be run as an Islamic state with legislation based on sharia law.
According to The Washington Post reporter Mary Beth Sheridan, Jalil said to a crowd in Benghazi, “’We are an Islamic state,’ and pledged to get rid of regulations that didn’t conform to Islamic law.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/und ... _blog.html

Yeah get rid of one dictator and replace him with something worse. As long as the oil keeps pumping and profits keep flowing who cares right?!?

[T2K]

In realistic terms of human governance, particularly in Africa, this would be:

Successful = the gov't exists and has sovereignty over all parts of the country
Fair = the gov't has courts that are at least somewhat independent and who's rulings are abided by most of the time
Representative = there are elections whose results are implemented

I have low standards for humanity.

[slinky]

That is about as surprising as the fact that the rebels (who are supported by NATO and who we spent US1Bil helping) shot him in the head within minutes of finding him. That is to say...it's not surprising at all.

We just need to stop having the delusion that nations which, by our definition of civilization, are uncivilized will change. And act accordingly.

<sigh> No, I guess not all that surprising I guess, but disappointing nonetheless.

[Joseph27]

Wahoo Iran must be smiling from ear to ear

Mustafa Abdel Ja­lil, Libya’s interim leader, declared Sunday that post-Gaddafi Libya will be run as an Islamic state with legislation based on sharia law.
According to The Washington Post reporter Mary Beth Sheridan, Jalil said to a crowd in Benghazi, “’We are an Islamic state,’ and pledged to get rid of regulations that didn’t conform to Islamic law.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/und ... _blog.html

Yeah get rid of one dictator and replace him with something worse. As long as the oil keeps pumping and profits keep flowing who cares right?!?

This was plain to see from Day 1, Libya is a land of tribes so don't expect a weekly forum of social democrats sipping tea to decide its future - there will be rounds of pay back and the strongest will get to set the agenda - and as rightfully pointed out, the oil will keep flowing