Moammar Gadhafi Killed by Rebels; Senator Scott Brown Comments on the Death of Libya’s Long-Serving Leader

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed Thursday as his hometown fell to the one-time rebels who ousted him, ending the last vestiges of control for the man once hailed as the “king of kings of Africa.”

Gadhafi was wanted dead or alive — and opinion is mixed on which was preferable.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said his country had wanted Gadhafi “captured alive so that he could be brought to justice.”

But some suggested that Gadhafi’s death worked to greater effect. Shashank Joshi, of London’s Royal United Services Institute, said that “a trial would have been an opportunity for him to grandstand. So in some ways, his death is more cathartic.”

U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) issued the following statement on the confirmation that former Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi was killed:

“No one should shed any tears for Gadhafi.  He was an international terrorist who had American blood on his hands, and who attempted to slaughter thousands of his own people in order to keep a grip on power.  I hope that with Gadhafi now gone, the Libyan people will be able to finally choose their leaders through free and fair elections.”

Gadhafi’s death is this year’s latest foreign policy victory for the Obama administration, including the killing of Osama bin Laden and the recent strike against a radical U.S.-born cleric in Yemen.

While the U.S. briefly took the lead in the NATO bombing campaign in Libya, America quickly took a secondary role to its allies. Obama said the joint international effort showed what can be achieved by collective action.

From an economic standpoint, Gadhafi’s death removes a threat to the stability of global oil markets.

Though it will be months before Libya can export as much oil as it did before it descended into civil war, the former dictator’s demise reduces the chance that violence will get in the way as Libya cranks up production again.

As Libyan crude returns, it could lower the price of oil on the international markets and gasoline at American pumps.

Still, getting back to regular oil production could prove difficult for Libya. Its government is still in its infancy and infighting could spark a second uprising similar to the insurgency in Iraq.

“Certainly, having Gadhafi no longer on the scene takes away one source of instability. We just think the bigger problem might be the ‘game of thrones’ between various factions within the rebel ranks,” says Barclays Capital analyst Helima Croft.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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