Friday, October 21, 2011
My Walk Through the Valley of Death
The reporter, Janine de Giovanni, gave a good sense of being on the streets of Libya. She described the sights, smells and sounds well, which helped make the article even more interesting to read. While the Libyans are now free, her country and their people have been devastated. She gives three examples of how people's lives have been shattered at home and abroad. She ends her piece with an interview of a University of Tripoli professor, who gives the recipe for success. He makes it clear that everyone must be careful with propaganda, and recommends that the government must be "transparent". A clear and open government is the only way to start gaining the people's trust back. He warns that this will take a long time, do you guys think the people Libya can wait that long? Do you think that the people will get over their urge for revenge? And lastly, do you think that the people will understand what an open society will feel like, even it it makes them feel vulnerable?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Honestly, I don't think the people of Libya can wait that long. Although they don't have much of a choice, they will be forced to. They've been through so much throughout the past few decades, with the government & Gaddafi, that at this point they are probably very fed up and tired. All they are going to want to do now is retaliate and fight back for revenge. These people have lost so much trust from their government, and probably going to have a hard time coping and getting past it. Lastly, I think the people of Libya will feel anything along the lines of being scared when it comes to an open society. They won't understand how it will feel like because their society has been nothing but isolated and closed off from them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the people of Libya can wait as long as they need to, because ultimately, they are not really waiting. Things are going to start getting better from here on out, now that Gaddafi is dead. The urge for revenge will slowly dissipate, and if the new government can find good and honest leaders, Libya will be able to get back on its feet. The years of devastation will leave both a emotional and physical scar on the nation, but it will still be able to recover. As for the open society, I think that people will adjust to that very quickly. It might be a bit rough around the edges for the first few runs, but parties will get established and hopefully, democracy will reign.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jack and think that the people of Libya can wait as long as they need to for their freedom. I thought that DiGiovanni did a good job of making the reader feel right there in the action. I was horrified when I learned about the killings in Yarmuk and all the innocent people that died. I think that at the end the professor from the University of Tripoli gave very good advice and that the only way for Libya to heal is to follow what he said.
ReplyDeleteThey can wait as long as they want, but it will only get worse. they unemployment rate is high, establishments are shut down and it is very chaotic. someone needs to step in place of Gaddafi that libyans can trust. An open society will be something people will willingly adapt to, and i think now that Gaddafi is officially dead, they got their revenge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jack on this, I don't think that time will be an issue with the people of Libya. I think that people are still recovering from the astonishing news that Gaddafi is actually dead. Even though it will be a big change for the people, I don't think that an open society will be that difficult to adjust to. Libyans have waited a long time to finally feel safer in their country, and they finally have the opportunity to make it a better place.
ReplyDeleteI think that the major challenge that awaits Libya is to start a good government system up and then find a few mostly incorruptible leaders. The rebellion has brought most of the Libyans together, so racial differences shouldn't be too devastating to the country... (Iraq) Parker does have a point where the country is in shambles, but I think that everything will work out. Prosperity always follows freedom, and the Libyans have high expectations for themselves and if they are willing to work, they will be able to achieve great things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Parker that someone new needs to take Gaddafi's place, who the people of Libya can actually trust. It will take a while for everyone to recover from the past few years, but I think a new leader is what they really need. I do think it will be hard to trust a new leader, when Gaddafi has done nothing but let them down.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jack, Parker, Brianna and everyone who said that what the Libyans need most of all is a good, fair leader that thinks of the people before himself. They need to forget about avenging the death of their loved ones and their people and focus on rebuilding their country. Gaddafi is dead and they need to leave it at that and move on.
ReplyDelete