Look, good question. I do however think it’s a great thing that they have been able to do so. My first instinct would have been to retaliate. We probably didn’t know at first who had taken the action though, so cooler heads may have been a good idea for once.
The fact that Libyans have made it patently clear they are sick of this s—t, sends a message that is loud and clear, and may be better than something we could have done.
We should probably make it clear we are happy to have friends in Libya who share dismay at our loss. We should promote the shared things that we have in common, and seek to promote those sorts of relations.
We should also thank the government for it’s expressions of sorrow, even if we don’t fully buy it. There are ways to move minds that don’t involve threats or retaliation. And I’m quite a hawk when it gets right down to it.
I would start by asking the government why they didn’t protect these people. And make it clear that we support the counter protests and expect the government to do the same.