The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir by Power Samantha

Author:Power, Samantha [Power, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Politics, Biography, History
ISBN: 9780062820716
Goodreads: 42872088
Publisher: Dey Street Books
Published: 2019-09-10T07:00:00+00:00

OVER THE NEXT SEVEN MONTHS, the joint NATO-Arab coalition did what it could from the air to protect Libyan civilians. Unfortunately, instead of ceasing their attacks, Qaddafi and his forces hung on, continuing to bombard populated areas. Most alarmingly, despite efforts by the UN, the African Union, and the White House itself (which sent a diplomatic delegation to meet with Qaddafi’s key advisers), the Libyan leader did not credibly engage in discussions aimed at ending the war.19

The most consoling voice I heard during this period was that of Chris Stevens, a senior US diplomat whom Clinton had posted in Benghazi as a liaison to the Libyan opposition. Chris spoke Arabic and had served in Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. From 2007 to 2009, he had been the second in command at the US embassy in Libya.

Chris and a small team of aides arrived in Libya on a Greek cargo ship not long after NATO began bombing. They fanned out, meeting with everyone from former Qaddafi-era officials who had defected, to lawyers, doctors, businesspeople, and volunteer soldiers. Chris reported that Libyans were exuberant about building a new, free country. He sent emails and cables back to Washington about the opposition radio and television stations and the human rights and women’s rights organizations that were sprouting up all over “liberated” territory. These dispatches practically crackled with the energy and optimism of those enjoying freedom for the first time.

When I met Chris on his occasional visits to Washington, I was struck by how special his brand of diplomacy was. A native Californian and former Peace Corps volunteer with a toothy smile, he gave off the feeling of someone who knew that he could learn more from backpacking through an area than meeting with dignitaries. Libya seemed to be not just a country where Chris had been posted; it was a place that he was making his home. He was also refreshingly willing to admit all that he didn’t know—that none of us could know—about what went on in the minds of Libyans who had been locked under repressive rule for generations.

On August 20th, 2011, Libyans in Tripoli rose up against Qaddafi, breaking a months-long military stalemate and marking the overthrow of the repressive government.20 I was at home with Declan, who was nearly two and a half years old. “Qaddafi is gone!” I told him, somewhat amazed.

My young son began marching around our apartment, shouting, “No more coffee! Coffee is gone!”

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