Bill-

It's true that post-revolutionary Libya is still evolving, and some of the evolutions are disturbing. No one expected democracy to spring forth full grown after a full blown civil war. But I doubt if the vast majority of Libyans miss Gadhafi. To characterize the Gadhafi Regime as "mild" ignores the mass graves of thousands who were slaughtered under its auspices; new mass graves are still being discovered and examined.

Syria is another case with many different aspects apart from oil reserves, and no one I know is optimistic of a peaceful resolution soon, unless "peaceful" is equated with slaughter.

Charley Noble