James Joyner: Libya After Qaddafi ... Lessons From Iraq 2003

The end of Muammar Qaddafi's regime appears near. Regardless of one's views on the wisdom of American intervention, that's cause for celebration.

Indeed, celebration is the order of the day, with large crowds cheering and dancing in Libya, in front of the White House, and around the world. The giddiness and exultation is natural and understandable. And, in the case of Libyans who risked everything to reach this point, earned.

Still, sober observers would be wise to recall similar triumphalism and I Told You So's at a similar stage in Iraq eight years ago, when Saddam Hussein was toppled...