Gaddafi received his just desserts

Few times throughout recorded history has one man been so hated by the people he ruled. However, it seems violent overthrow has become more common in recent decades, from Pahlavi in Iran to Hussein in Iraq, and most recently Gaddafi in Libya. 

Most overthrows have a few things in common: a nation divided along ethnic or religious lines, a great divide between the leaders and the people, and masses incited to action.

Gaddafi hated the Berbers, the indigenous people of North Africa, whom he blamed for Libyan struggles. He outlawed Berber names on birth certificates, and he banned the use of their language in schools. 

Gaddafi, like those overthrown before him, secluded and even harshly discriminated against a certain ethnic group.

Let it be known that to most outsiders, Gaddafi was a good politician. 

Under his guidance, Libya prospered as an oil-producing country with the highest standard of living in Africa. Life expectancy rose from age 57 to 77, and the literacy rate rose from 10 percent to almost 90 percent under his rule.

Gaddafi used the natural resources Libya had to offer to improve roadways and build the Great Manmade River so that citizens had a supply of freshwater and fund public education.

However, he failed as a leader. He ruled Libya with an iron fist and ordered massacres of civilians to keep the citizenry in line. Gaddafi, from the very beginning, established committees to keep a check on internal dissent. The government often executed dissidents publicly.

Gaddafi used the oil revenue the country was bringing in from exports to purchase arms and provide elaborate lifestyles for him and his friends. Meanwhile, a striking percentage of the citizenry lived in poverty. 

Protests against the Gaddafi regime began in February. The protests were peaceful until Gaddafi used force to attempt to squash them. In return, violence erupted. An opposing government was established, named the National Transitional Council. The NTC aimed to overthrow Gaddafi and hold democratic elections. The NTC was officially recognized by the United Nations as the Libyan seat of government on Sept. 16. 

However, Gaddafi was still at large and loyal forces were still fighting. On Oct. 20, the final stronghold of Gaddafi’s forces was captured, and he died of unclear causes. He was not given a trial, but he was certainly found guilty.

The opposition need not give Gaddafi a trial because his crimes against humanity were obvious to the Libyans. The UN even issued an arrest warrant for Gaddafi.

There is no question Gaddafi failed his citizens. He bullied and intimidated them through censorship and forced submission, and like so many dictators before him, he paid for his transgressions with his life at the hands of the opposition.

As a result of the conditions surrounding his death, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she supports calls for an UN investigation to determine the circumstances and to punish those responsible.

In the minds of those who have been controlled by Gaddafi for far too long, his death is reason to celebrate, not reason to investigate. 

Trenton Winford is a sophomore public policy leadership major from Madison. Follow him on Twitter @tgwinford.