Prof. Goodwin Writes on Moammar Qaddafi's Death

Professor Michele Goodwin wrote an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education's Brainstorm blog on the death of the deposed Libyan leader, Moammar Qaddafi. In the article, Goodwin points out that Qaddafi's death and the manner of his killing signify more than the long-awaited political transition for the oil-rich nation. Goodwin says, "that Qaddafi was murdered rather than surrendered to a civilian justice system says much about the political and institutional structures he failed to cultivate and sadly what can be imagined for the near future of Libya." But, Goodwin cautions, "restoration of the rule of law must be preceded by a preexisting foundation or system of legal principles. Mob rule and gang violence begets the same. The rule of law does not emerge from thin air."