COULD THE MIGRANT CRISIS FROM LIBYA HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF QADDAFI HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO LIVE . YES OR NO . With the death toll in one of the m...
COULD THE MIGRANT CRISIS FROM LIBYA HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF QADDAFI HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO LIVE . YES OR NO . With the death toll in one of the most devastating humanitarian crisis continuing to climb, many are pointing to the fall of Muammar Qaddafi, and the destabilization of Libya, as a factor in the deaths of nearly 1900 individuals in the Mediterranean Sea. By the time of his death in 2011, Qaddafi had adopted a reputation as being – at best – an eccentric. Travelling with an all-female bodyguard squadron known as "The Revolutionary Nuns,"and sleeping in bulletproof tents, the leader occasionally made controversial comments. Mosquitos, for instance, were “God’s armies which will protect us against colonialists.” By all accounts, he became, in his later years, the Dennis Rodman of world leaders. He had, however, established a relationship with Libya’s European neighbors across the Mediterranean. In 2004, Qaddafi began formalizing deals to help control the flow of migrants into Europe. Preying on European prejudices, he warned Italian President Silvio Berlusconi about a Europe which "might no longer be European, and even black, as there are millions who want to come in." "What will be the reaction of the white and Christian Europeans faced with this influx of starving and ignorant Africans," he said, according to the Christian Science Monitor. "We don’t know if Europe will remain an advanced and united continent or if it will be destroyed, as happened with the barbarian invasions." The appeal to European racism paid off. In exchange for 5 billion euros a year – later renegotiated to 50 million euros – Qaddafi agreed to essentially shut down the Libyan coast. Watchtowers were built along beaches, and internment camps were set up to house those caught mid-transit near the Italian coast. It wasn’t pleasant, but illegal migration through Libya dropped by 75% in 2010. A New Land of Missed Opportunity One year later, Qaddafi was dead, dragged through the streets by "rebels" after being captured with the assistance of a NATO bombing campaign. In the years since, the situation in Libya has grown worse instead of better. Lacking a centralized government, the country is torn between rival militias. Traveling is more dangerous than it has ever been. But that lawlessness has once again made the nation a major thoroughfare for migrants seeking asylum in Europe, and many militias along the coast are looking the other way in exchange for money. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the ship that left Tripoli Saturday morning included individuals from Eritrea, Syria, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, and Ethiopia. "There have been no similar figures since the Second World War," Europeans may have disliked Qaddafi, but he maintained some sense of stability. After he was overthrown with NATO's assistance, members of the alliance have only themselves to blame for the wave of immigrants headed to their shores. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW . THANKS PLEASE VOTE YES OR NO . QUESTION , COULD THE MIGRANT CRISIS HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF GADDAFI HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO LIVE . Less
