Libyans Need Economic Freedom

As the dust settles on Muammar Gaddafiâ??s 42-year regime, ordinary Libyans turn to the countryâ??s interim National Transitional Council (NTC) to guide them to a better future. Libyans would be right to feel anxious. From Cairo in 2011 to Kiev in 2004, the world is all too familiar with images of cheering throngs who think they have broken free of tyranny, only to have those revolutionary dreams repressed by political chaos, corruption, police violence, economic inequality, or otherwise. The NTCâ??s pledge to hold elections by June 2012 is a step in the right direction, but the NTC must know that Libyansâ?? dreams will not be realized until there is economic freedom as well. This is a tall order for a country that ranked 173 out of 179 on the Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journalâ??s 2011 Index of Economic Freedom (IEF), the worst score of any country in the Arab world.