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THE DEBATE ABOUT whether defecting members of the Gadhafi regime should face prosecution for their crimes, or whether they could be given safe haven, risks confusing ends and means.
Our end is that there should be a different, more democratic regime in Libya. How we get to that point is less important.
There is talk of Western special services training Libyans to lead the push against Moammar Gadhafi. His removal would transform the situation but is easier said than done. A more honorable and desirable outcome is that the rebels simply defeat the army loyal to the government. That still seems far from certain; despite some signs of training from Western forces, the rebels remain a largely chaotic force.
The third option, which is now realistic given the defection of members of Gadhafi’s inner circle, is to wait for the regime to implode from within. If it does, there could be realistic peace talks under the aegis of a third party. These could lead to a peaceful transition to some sort of democracy, possibly at the price of allowing the Gadhafi family safe passage.
This is not an ideal situation. No one can feel happy with the prospect of individuals who have perpetrated human rights abuses getting away with their crimes. But it would be counter-productive if the pursuit of that ideal became a bar to regime change in Libya. Our political leaders should be thinking hard about what we can do to help achieve stability as well as democracy in a post-Gadhafi Libya.