"Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links"
Yeah, I knew about that, but it doesn't prove much. Rebellions like this are usually a complex brew of interest groups, all looking to come out on top. Whether AQ has the upper hand or not I don't think anybody really knows.
The chance of al-Quaeda and the Moslem Brotherhood taking over if Quaddafi is toppled are great. Look at what is going on in Egpyt. People living in Islamic cultures have a profoundly different world view than Westerners.
There is no concept of freedom as we think of it.
"In the Western world, we talk all the time about freedom. In the Islamic world, freedom is not a political term. It’s a legal term: Freedom as opposed to slavery.". In other words one could live under Sharia and be free.
From the same interview with Bernard Lewis (ME expert): "But Lewis regards a dash toward Western-style elections, far from representing a solution to the region’s difficulties, as constituting “a dangerous aggravation” of the problem, and fears that
radical Islamic movements would be best placed to exploit so misguided a move". [Emphasis mine]
There is no history or tradition of democracy; loyalty is not to a nation state but to one’s tribe and Islam. OldDeckHand describes it more eloquently
here.
The chance of al-Quaeda and the Moslem Brotherhood taking over if Quaddafi is toppled are great. Look at what is going on in Egpyt. Knew that too, but the two, although associated, are not the same. It's a difference of logistics and command, which, when you are talking about controlling a country, is everything.
In other words one could live under Sharia and be free.
One could say the same about liberty under Biblical Statutes, a subject upon which I'm something of an authority.
Lewis' fears are legit, but not determinative. I suspect the outcomes between Libya and Egypt are likely to be different because of the Egyptian military and still hold that we would be better off leaving Qadaffi in power and helping the Saudis deal with Yemen, which is a truly dangerous situation. Hence my point about this being a treasonous smokescreen.