Although Muammar Gaddafi’s fall from power is a cause of celebration for many, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton warned Sunday night that trouble may lie ahead.
“[T]here are many leaders of the opposition who want democracy,” Bolton said on Fox News as it appeared that the Libyan capital of Tripoli was falling to rebel forces and Gaddafi’s 40-year dictatorship was coming to an end. “But there are many others in the opposition as we know that NATO has said publicly who are radical supporters of terrorists — al-Qaeda.”
Bolton also warned about the potential of lawlessness in the immediate aftermath of the state’s collapse.
“And basically at the moment, it appears that what there was of the Libyan state has disappeared, so there’s no police force on the street,” he continued. “There’s no evidence of a government and that something isn’t created to bring stability to the situation, a grave concern would be that the country, which is split by tribal and clan hostility and has been for a long time, ends up in a kind of anarchy situation like we’ve seen in Somalia these past 20 years. And that would be very detrimental from the U.S. point of view. Our main interest at the moment is making sure the terrorists don’t take root in Libya and use it as a base for operation. And I think that question is up in the air as we speak.”