The Death of a tyrant

After nearly eight months, Libyan Revolutionary Forces announced on Oct. 20 that they had taken the town of Sirte and have killed their former Dictator Moammar Gaddafi. As citizen in the capital of Tripoli rejoice with the fall of their dictator, all eyes are on Libya's new leaders as they seek to install a new democratic after more than 40 years of Tyranny.

Gaddafi's removal was the first step for Libya, now the next test of forming a peaceful democratic society is upon them. The  upcoming months will start to tell if Libya has just over thrown a dictator or is embarking upon a revolution.

Brock University Political Science Professor Paul Hamilton said that Gaddafi's death is a "profound political shift".

"I don't think many will mourn him, but his death likely worries the Presidents of Syria and Yemen, where armed resistance looks a lot like what happened in Libya," said Hamilton.

Even though Libya is celebrating, its new leaders know that the transition to democracy will not be easy and will be a long and tedious journey. Historically, after revolts in undeveloped countryies like Libya, new governments have become as corrupt and authoritative as the one that was removed or being unable to control their population resulting in regional civil wars. However, Hamilton is optimistic.

"I believe Libya has the international support and the determination of a talented young society and these factors will be critical in establishing democracy," he said.

The difficulty every new potential democratic government has after years of tyranny is simply providing its people with basic public needs.

"It will take a long time for Libya to establish a professional civil service, reestablish basic services and repair the damage wrought by 40 years of neglectful corrupt governance," said Hamilton.

This is where the role of the West will need to come in to facilitate change. NATO, which includes Canada, supported the rebel forces with tactical air strikes. After Gaddafi's death, the Western countries will have to help facilitate Libya's new government with foreign aid, loans and training. Though the NATO forces will call their missions a success, the victory very much belongs to the Libyan rebels who were fighting on the ground.

"This rebellion began in Libya and the credit for the overthrow of Gaddafi belongs to the Libyan people, many of whom gave their lives over the last eight months," said Hamilton.

The profound message in the Arab Spring Uprisings has been the younger generation, unwillingness to accept authoritarian rule and corruption from the government.

Tunisia, where the Arab Spring started, held elections Oct. 22 to a body that will write a new constitution, Libya will do the same in a few months.

"That's when the tricky part arises. Constitutions define and design the nature and functioning of the new regime and there are fundamental issues that will have to be debated," said Hamilton.

"Democracy was hard to achieve in Europe. Lots of violence and incremental extension of the franchise. The point though is that this process, while never complete, is absolutely essential. There's no short cut. Libyans will have to design a democracy that suits Libyan society."