Libya Following In China's Footsteps?

As reported by the French news agency AFP - through Yahoo! News' Africa section of September 6th - the Kadhafi dictatorship of Libya wants to open up her economy to foreign investment. After many years of economic and political isolation, the current regime wishes to break the shackles of over-regulation of her business sector. However, the regime has made it clear that it will not de-centralize her government structures, nor veer from the path toward his "people's socialist Jamahirya".

The regime celebrated its 35th anniversary of its overthrow of the legitimate ruler, King Idriss on September 1st. During the celebration, Kadhafi made public his intention to have foreign oil companies bid for offshore drilling rights. But he also will not disband his "people's committees", and has not named his successor.

So it seems that Libya is taking the same path that was blazed by Red China under Deng Xiaoping, then under Castro's Cuba, and most recently - in very tiny steps - North Korea. Communist or Socialist regimes, wishing to stay alive, allow some much-needed reform of their economic structure. But it is just enough to keep money flowing in. They officially refuse to abandon Socialism or Communism, and refuse basic political freedoms we had in the West, but are surely losing.

Yet, it is nothing new. Under the old Soviet Union, their first dictator Lenin instigated the so-called New Economic Plan (NEP) to bring foreign money and investment into Russia when their attempts in imposing Communism upon Russia bore poison fruit. So, old tricks, new disguise.

Libya will not be free until the Kadhafi regime is throw out by moral and peaceful means, replaced with a government friendly to or openly Distributist. Returning the Royal Family to their rightful place as "head of the household" wouldn't be bad either.

But let Libyans learn of the Distributism of Belloc, Chesterton and their legitimate successors first. Then let them apply it to their unique circumstances, and then things will get better. It make take time, but they will get better.

If Rome wasn't built in a day, neither will a free and Distributist Libya. But that is no excuse to start building it today.