Shortly after Muammar Gaddafi's death, images of his corpse were broadcast worldwide. The front page of the Sun was probably one of the most brutal. There were calls from some that such a grotesque practice was completely out of place in the twenty-first century. Suffice it to say, I wasn't one of them.
In the words of one prolific Twitterer: 'Sticking a photo of a bloodied corpse on the front page of every newspaper is the modern equivalent of sticking heads on spikes'. Is that such a bad thing? Through its very barbarity, that gruesome custom sought to deter others from following a similar path. Dictators otherwise happy to wage war against their own people will see what a humiliating fate awaits them on their fall.
Bashar Assad should take note. Syria might not be the pariah state that was Gaddafi's Libya and he might be able to rely on the support of other regional powers. However, Egypt was very strongly connected internationally and Mubarak still fell.
Not all the effects were so negative: broadcast of those images also brought transparency. The world now knows Gaddafi was executed extra-judicially. With no prospect of a cover-up, the National Transitional Council will now investigate his death. Under such close scrutiny, Libya's new ruling body will find itself held to the highest standards. This can only help the country move towards the liberal democracy for which its people fought so hard.
It's hard to feel sorry for Gaddafi. I'm not going to try. He had the blood of thousands on his hands. He sponsored terrorism and waged war against his own people. He should have stood trial for his crimes. Failing that, humiliation was the least he deserved.
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