Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday condemned the attacks on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, earlier this week, which left four US nationals dead, including ambassador Christopher Stephens.
The government’s condemnation is deserved, just as is the condemnation drawn from other nations – all the way to Cuba, still a ‘Cold War’ enemy. Malta also expressed its conviction that the attack would not cancel out the ongoing democratisation of Libya, and that the Libyan authorities would do their utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
On the same day of the attack, the US embassies in Cairo and in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a were also targeted by protesters. But the night-time attacks in Benghazi were clearly a more coordinated affair. Gunmen attacked the consulate building – a one-storey villa – with rocket-propelled grenades, setting it aflame. It was clearly the work of an organised and armed group.
The Libyan administration has also condemned the attack and said that it was the work of radicals. We agree. But it is very clear and apparent that not all is well with the Arab Spring. Joy, hope, enthusiasm and reconciliation is being undermined by extremists, religious fanatics, bandits, criminals, regime fighters and more. It is happening in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen. One can only but imagine what the aftermath of Syria will bring.
The attack in Benghazi was preceded by protests which were sparked by an internet trailer of an alleged film called the Innocence of Muslims, of which both English and Arabic language versions were posted on YouTube. The very instrument which led to the Arab Spring is now undermining its very existence – computer and internet technology.
The US administration is also investigating whether the deadly assault was a planned terrorist strike to mark the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – but it still raises the question of instability in the region.
Perhaps an elaborate, yet educated conspiracy theory could be put together to suggest that militants attacked to make it look like religious extremism is gaining sway and that the people were in support of efforts to target those who helped them. Perhaps it was al-Qaeda inspired. Or, could it be that there are so many weapons and so many factions on the loose in a country devoid of any social and administrative infrastructure. Perhaps the real answer is that it is a combination of all the above. Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen are also experiencing difficulties in the transition to democracy.
If the warning signs are not heeded now, then there could be a very, very heavy fallout. Whole nations could disintegrate and be replaced with Caliphates, tribal claims and physical sectarian divisions. Some Arab nations have tried to reform – Jordan and Morocco, for example. But are they doing enough? Perhaps autocratic nations ought to look at what is happening in Cuba. Slowly, very slowly, things are changing. People are being allowed to buy property, invest and compete. However, there are differences. Arab and North African nations, although controlled by an iron fist, still had access to technology and a certain degree of market choice.
Cubans did not. But the very basic reforms seem even bigger to its people, because it is happening voluntarily and gradually. The revolutionary leadership may have finally realised that it cannot hang on in its current form forever – it is changing its ways. Will it ever come full circle? Perhaps not. Perhaps it will meet Capitalism somewhere near the middle. Reason shows that all the current alterations to the capitalist system involve a degree of centralisation and subsidies – the very basis of leftist (in the traditional sense) economic models. And this is perhaps the key. Freedom is the very tenet of what humanity stands for. But freedom does not mean the right to kill out of anger or revenge. Freedom also does not mean that people should be impervious to justice and prosecution. Freedom means following a code, a way of living that allows us all to get by in the crazy world we live in. Freedom must be balanced with self-control. It holds true for the Arab Spring and the self-inflicted financial crisis in the West.
The Arab Spring will likely continue to unfold over decades. But while everyone has hoped for the best, it is clear that this is going to be a long and hard transition for all involved. Malta is in the Southern Mediterranean – we are involved.