A grateful nation

TomTom

There is no Arab country that wouldn't hoist similar banners for its sponsors when a new clique gets access to oil wealth. I bet they will be especially pleased to see Wealth Management Bankers with offshore credentials

In2minds

"An Ally in North Africa" - now here comes the fun bit when English and French companies rush to rebuild what has been destroyed.

As Merkel is looking for more 'commitment' now to help shore up the euro I hope the lack of German involvement at the start of the Libya adventure keeps the likes of Siemens out. I doubt it though.

Clear Memories

I wonder if they'll remain grateful to those outstanding supporters of the former regime, its leader and his family - step forward Bliar, Bruin and Mandelslime.

And will the latter have the answers ready for this:

http://alexmasterley.blogspot.com/2011/08/mandelslime-saga-continues.html

TrevorsDen

In a fast ever changing world it is always nice to know you can rely on Tom Tom.

Maggie

I wonder if perhaps this "spontaneous display of gratitude" might just have been erected by the agency of the US to show to the folks back home. I don't think its realistic to suppose that in the midst of a revolution anyone has time to customise flags for the benefit of foreign TV stations.

2trueblue

In2minds and Clear Memories, perfectly put.
Keeping in mind that our train contract went to the same place!

Arthur Zastruga

"JOHN R. BRADLEY’S new book, After the Arab Spring: How The Islamists Hijacked The Middle East Revolt, will be published in December"

Hmm. So whatever happens anywhere in the Middle East between now and December, that's gonna be Mr Bradley's conclusion. He may be right, but I think we can be fairly confident that the view of the Libyan people will remain resolutely pro-Western - although as others have pointed out, after Merkel's misguided refusal to support Britain and France in the Security Council I'm not sure the Germans will be very popular on the streets of Tripoli or Benghazi any time soon. There's an excellent analysis of Germany's tortuous Libyan policy here.

I just can't see Libyan gratitude towards NATO evaporating any time soon - this aint Iraq, they have not been "liberated" without being consulted - and hopefully this will seriously counter any attempts by Islamists in post-Gaddafi Libya to propagate their usual anti-Western paranoia.

Now, onwards to Syria. Let's roll!

Vulture

@Arthur Z:

Whatever you are on, may I have some too please? It will brighten a grey August day.

Since the Islamists in Libya have just killed their own military commander, Gen. Younes, I think we can safely assume that they are already well-entrenched there.

Ditto Egypt, where Hamas is already mounting cross-border raids into Israel from Sinai.

And I don't think the West will be dislodging ferret-face Assad from his Syrian perch anytime soon.

Your lunatic optimism over the outcome of the Arab Spring is, therefore of Korskiesque proportions and 100% wrong.

If we get through this year without a major Middle-eastern conflict we'll be extremely lucky.

FvH

Oh I'm sure it'll all work out fine - these things usually do!!

Jez

It can be whatever you want it to be David.

I have one thought as I see this gesture, you have feelings of joy.

Brill!

Baron

whatever happens in Libya, Egypt wherever nobody can tell with any certainty, what is without doubt is the age of hereditary dictatorships in the Middle East is coming to an end, Baron puzzles by the views of those who shout about freedom for themselves, would deny it to others in however imperfect form, even if the sharia lovers gain control it’s unlikely their rule will last, the bug of having a say, of choosing amongst a range of options has penetrated deep enough to be eradicated again, let’s give the great unwashed of the Arab lands a chance to sort things out, just the process of an internal strife should help there and here, too, fewer of the young will arrive at our shores, destabilising us.

john miller

"This spontaneous display of gratitude suggests that some of the Libyan rebels won't forget who saved them from annihilation."

Yeah, like the French were after World War II.

"It's something of a PR coup for NATO"

The post-modern new age British media person. Winning a bloody civil war is a PR coup. Pass the bucket.

Arthur Zastruga

@ Vulture

So you're 100% right, I guess? I'll stick with my optimism, dude.

For one thing Libya is not Egypt. I guess they all look the same to you, but they're not. This is in every sense a real revolution and not an army takeover as we've watched happen in Egypt.

Whatever the eventual outcome of the Arab Spring,(I dont have your ability to see into the future) I'm still elated by the bravery of people across the region in taking on vicious regimes. I'm still hopeful that more good than bad will come from this bravery.

Why are you so unable to celebrate people throwing off tyranny? Is it because you have no appreciation of your own freedom? You can be sure in every home in Syria tonight people will be celebrating Gaddafi's fall and hoping they can emulate the Libyans.

It's odd, and has provided something of an awakening for me, that people on both left and right have been uniting to rain on the Arab Spring's parade, almost willing it to fail. Your opinions would be very much at home on the Guardian's website, where so-called liberals are falling over each other in the rush to turn their backs on people struggling for freedom in Syria and elsewhere.

Whatever. You're free to tar the entire Middle East with the "mad Islamist" brush if that makes you feel good. I feel good watching people bursting with joy in Tripoli today. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt for now.