Muammer Gaddafi’s lethal repression of demonstrators in Libya is shocking, but not surprising – and may be one of the final acts of a desperate regime. The dictator has a long history of quashing the slightest sign of opposition. When UN sanctions were lifted in 2003, however, western powers showed casual disregard for Mr Gaddafi’s brutal domestic record in their rush to forge diplomatic and commercial links with the oil-rich country. Now, clashes between unarmed protesters and security forces have killed more than 200 people. A stark truth has been laid bare: a belligerent leader who transforms his foreign policy has changed nothing if he does not also reform his own country.
穆安瑪爾•格達費(Muammer Gaddafi)對利比亞示威者的血腥鎮壓令人震驚，但並不出人意料，這也許是一個絕望政權的最後招數之一。在掐滅哪怕是最微弱的反對火種方面，這位獨裁者可謂擁有悠久的歷史。不過，在聯合國於2003年解除制裁後，西方大國忙著與石油資源豐富的利比亞建立外交和商業聯繫，而對卡扎菲野蠻的國內記錄表現得滿不在乎。現在，手無寸鐵的抗議者與軍警之間的衝突已導致200餘人喪生。一個殘酷的現實在世人面前暴露無遺：一個轉變了外交政策的好戰領導人，如果不同時在自己的國家推行改革，那就什麼都沒有改變。