Libya has a chance to learn from others' mistakes

It has been almost two months since Tripoli fell to the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya, but supporters of the ousted ruler Muammar Gadhafi are not giving up that easily.
Over the last weekend, NTC fighters forced their way into the desert oasis of Bani Walid, one of the last holdouts of Gadhafi’s supporters, about 170 kilometres southeast of Tripoli. They were met by sharpshooters and snipers who, one by one, picked their shots and succeeded in stopping the advancing rebel army. Nobody ever said Gadhafi would be a walkover.
Given his ruthless nature, there is a real possibility that Gadhafi’s surviving troops could evolve into an underground movement that would give the new regime a big headache.
There is no credible information as to where Gadhafi may be hiding at this point in time, but the fact that he is able to finance this kind of resistance to the bitter end suggests the man will resort to anything to ensure vengeance on his foes. Underground violence to destabilise the new regime, if and when it comes into being, could certainly be a possibility.
But how the current battle is fought can also determine how the peace is played out. It’s never too late to negotiate with the opposing fighters unless of course they are foreign mercenaries who have gone to Libya for one thing and one thing only.
But as the world cheers on the NTC fighters, it should not count its chickens before all the eggs are hatched. Hopes are high for the future of Libya, as are expectations. But as other liberation movements of recent decades have shown, new rulers hardly ever live up to the expectations the world and their own people set for them. A successful liberation does not guarantee a successful new regime or a contented populace.
The challenge is to stick with an equilibrium, stay the course and not veer too much towards the tendency for revenge. Bloodshed can only create more bloodshed and more problems in the long run, even if it means a generation or so later.
Iran is a good example of how a new generation of people became alienated after a popular revolution carried out by the previous generation, many of whom were bloodily put down or forced into exile after the mullahs took over.
Rebuilding a nation is a tremendous task. The international community can help in the area of reorganising the military and police force, monitoring national elections, reforming the justice system, rebuilding the economy and drafting the country’s new constitution.
But for its immediate challenge, the Libyan NTC will have to reach out to all sides, including Gadhafi’s core tribal constituencies. The lesson in Iraq was the disastrous dismantling of the Iraqi national army, which left a nasty power vacuum for all sides to contest. It makes sense that the NTC is talking about retaining a large part of the country’s military, except those with serious blood on their hands.
Just as important is the immediate challenge of delivering vital goods and services to the people. The joyful mood of freedom could easily give way to hungry stomachs if basic needs are not delivered in a timely and efficient manner. Therefore, the country’s oil industry and main source of revenue must be restored as soon as possible.
One thing that will be difficult to undo is the economic bad habit of the old days in which Gadhafi used business concessions as rewards. The same kind of habit could ruin the new regime just as it did Gadhafi’s. In this respect, political reform is just as important as economic reform.
The people of Libya have come too far to make the same mistakes. Take the lessons of others and start with a clean slate.