Obama: Qadhafi’s Death Was Inevitable End of Dictatorship

20 October 2011

Remarks by the President on the Death of Muammar Qaddafi

Former Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi’s death is “a momentous day in the history of Libya,” President Obama said, and marks the end of “a long and painful chapter” for its people as they continue to transition from his 42-year rule.

“Today we can definitively say that the Qadhafi regime has come to an end. The last major regime strongholds have fallen. The new government is consolidating the control over the country, and one of the world’s longest-serving dictators is no more,” Obama said October 20 after Libya’s interim government announced Qadhafi’s death.

Qadhafi had ruled Libya with “an iron fist” for more than four decades. “Basic human rights were denied, innocent civilians were detained, beaten and killed, and Libya’s wealth was squandered. The enormous potential of the Libyan people was held back, and terror was used as a political weapon,” the president said.

Only one year ago, the notion of a free Libya “seemed impossible,” he said. “But then the Libyan people rose up, and demanded their rights,” and the international community responded to their calls for help when they faced mass atrocities at the hands of Qadhafi’s security forces.

Qadhafi’s death and other events “prove once more that the rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end,” Obama said.

“Across the Arab world, citizens have stood up to claim their rights. Youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship. And those leaders who try to deny their human dignity will not succeed,” he said.

The United States is committed to helping the Libyan people and Libya’s Transitional National Council as they undergo what will likely be a long and sometimes difficult transition to democratic rule, Obama said.

“You have won your revolution, and now we will be a partner as you forge a future that provides dignity, freedom and opportunity,” the president said.

Ambassador Susan Rice, the U.S. representative at the United Nations, said the United States was prepared to help Libya as it works to “build an inclusive, transparent, democratic government and create new economic opportunities for its citizens.”

“We will support its efforts to uphold the rule of law, create essential new institutions, and protect the rights of all citizens, including women and minorities. And we will support the international community in providing the expertise and technical assistance that Libyans will need to build a brighter future,” she said in an October 20 statement.

White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters October 20 that by rising up against Qadhafi, the Libyan people had managed to take control of their country and put themselves “in a position to create a better future for the young people in Libya and future generations of Libyans.”

“There are no guarantees as to what that future will look like, but they are in a far better place now because of what they achieved,” Carney said.

More broadly, the 2011 protests and revolutions against autocrats in the Middle East and North Africa have “spoken more dramatically than any individual could about where the future lies in that region, and it’s a future that lies with the youth of the region and those who are demanding greater democracy, greater accountability from their governments, greater freedom,”