Was it worth it?

Remember this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14934352

Given his dwindling popularity at home it must have been lovely for a man who relishes the adulation from a good PR campaign, boosted by  that warm Libyan son.  We learned how he took the gratitude of the new freed Libyan people with their chants of "Thank you Cam'ron" and "Thank you Britain".

That was October

This is how that gratitude is panning out now:





 Like my fellow blogger, Prodicus, I am lost for words.  In this video I see the efforts of our armed forces who provided cover for these militias during the uprising being used to spit in our faces by desecrating the memories of those of have fallen in previous defences against tyranny.

I'm not saying they're one and the same group of people as those who once thanked us.  What we're probably seeing here is one of the militias that are running wild in Libya.  There is however an important lesson to us before we go jumping in to "save" a nation.  It's one of that we had better know what we are getting in to before we do so.

It's no good going off half cocked into a conflict for the sake of some transient positive PR to fluff up our credentials as defenders of democracy.  These things might start off with all good intentions but having seen several of these now, it is clear that how they start out is not how they finish.  The path we seem to repeatedly is that once these "revolutions" start they not only attract the west, but bands of armed groups who make a beeline for the region to bring their own brand of revolution and post revolution "democracy".  Somewhere along the way we work hand in hand with them, help them achieve their aim and leave them to their democracy.  It's just that it has so often turned out, that their interpretation is very different to what we had in mind when we waded in.

Now we find Syria lining up as the next battle ground.  Are we certain we know what we're getting in to there?

Was this worth the plaudits eh Dave?