U.S. Ambassador to Libya Is Killed by Margret Coker of the Wall St. Journal explains the tragic attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi that threatens to redefine the U.S.-Libya relationship and to threaten Libya's transition to democracy by undermining security, calling into question the extent to which the Libyan authorities control the country, and by making foreign investment less likely. Now is the time that outside governments and business should engage in Libya and help it with the capacity building it needs to rebuild itself.The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other American diplomats were killed when suspected Libyan religious extremists stormed the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi late Tuesday, sparking a security crisis across the North African country and raising tensions across the Middle East.The news of the killings broke as Americans were waking up Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the attack should "shock the conscience" of people of all faiths, but that it wouldn't alter U.S. policy in Libya. The "mission in Libya is noble and necessary … and will continue," she said from Washington. The U.S. also announced increased security measures for all U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide.Libyan officials, many of whom led the rebel government based in Benghazi and worked with Mr. Stevens during that time, also condemned the killings. The head of the new congress, Mohammed Magarief, apologized to the American public for the tragedy. The deputy prime minister, Mustafa Abushagour, called the killings "an attack on America, Libya and the free world."Libya's new government has struggled to impose its authority on a myriad of gangs and former rebel brigades that remain armed and act outside the law. New security officials have had mixed success in implementing a plan whereby former rebels would be disbanded from their old brigades and given jobs as part of the new national army, defense forces and border guards.
U.S. Ambassador to Libya Is Killed