Qaddafi’s brutal assault on the people of Libya as they demonstrated to demand freedom and liberty was a rude reminder that we had been spoiled weeks earlier by the relative ease in which the dictators of Tunis and Egypt were toppled.

Freedom comes at a price, often high, paid for with blood, sweat, and tears. That’s what we are witnessing in Libya, because, lest we forget, those dictators who ruled their countries for decades, stifling life and freedom in them, have no qualms to oppress, brutalize, and crush the people when they deem necessary for preserving their own grip on power. So sick and arrogant, that they are willing destroy the country, so “no one else could have it,” if they feel power is slipping from their hands.

Perhaps they feel like they are the lords of fortune and providers of well-being, after all they’ve been in power since before electricity. It follows then, that they see the protestors as an ungrateful bunch.  So you should understand if they are so hurt that they go into nation-destruction mood.

The most symbolic of this twisted sentiment is the destruction of the Pearl Statue in the main square of Manama, where the Bahraini protesters have gathered for weeks. The Pearl symbolized Bahrain’s previous fortune and the main driver of its economy prior to petroleum, pearl harvesting is among the most iconic of the Bahraini heritage.

Of course the action smacks of despair and irrationality, since the statue became a symbol of the protests, or their location, the desperate despot wishes that the destruction of the symbol may do away with the revolution, because he cannot comprehend that the people are inspired or driven by something immaterial.

The exception to the rule that we observed in Tunis and Egypt stems from the presence of a relatively strong establishment, army or otherwise, that is savvy enough, and willing to sacrifice the president to preserve itself. Hence the rapid departure of both dictators, before the public anger reaches all the “bourgeoisie” This may repeat itself in Syria and Algeria should a massive uprising form, but unlikely in other countries… so brace yourselves.