Won’t these brutal dictators ever learn…?
Think what you will of the cowardly path Tunisia’s Ben Ali took by fleeing into exile, at least he was smart enough to avoid the humiliation Egypt’s Mubarak is now suffering by being wheeled into court on his death bed to face trial, which will surely end in his Saddam-like execution; or the summary fate that has now befallen Libya’s Gaddafi.
For according to the BBC, Gaddafi was shot and killed by rebel fighters after they found him cowering, ironically enough, in a rat hole just like Iraq’s Saddam.
Like Ben Ali, both Mubarak and Gaddafi had plenty of time during the early days of the Arab spring to bribe their way into comfortable exile in countries like Sudan, Niger, Algeria and even China; i.e., where the government would be unlikely to turn them over to The Hague. Alas, vainglorious pride got the better of them.
Perhaps now Syria’s Assad will take heed; although I fear that, having ordered the massacre of so many democratic protesters, he may now be killed if he tries to flee. And to be honest, I believe this is the way the reign of brutal dictators should end – not with a whimper into exile, but with a bullet to the head.
Allahu Akbar!
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Kill Gaddafi already.
This commentary was originally published yesterday, Thursday, at 10:47 am