Libya: The Dictator Has Fallen! Long Live [Fill in the Blank]!

By Barry Rubin

As NATO jets bombed the military positions of Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi, the watching rebels cheered, “Allah Akhbar!” Now that is a common Muslim expression, not just used by Islamists, and yet there is something symbolic about it. Allah did not bring the rebels victory, the United States and Europe did. Nevertheless, Allah will get the credit.

And that means the triumph will be attributed to the rebels’ piety rather than the West’s warplanes. In political terms, Islamism is likely to be more attractive than a pro-Western stance. But that doesn't mean Libya will be an Islamist state; it merely means it won't be a democratic, pro-Western one.

Read it all:
http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/08/22/libya-the-dictator-has-fallen-long-live-fill-in-the-blank/