Libyans were due to celebrate Dec. 24 — not Christmas Eve, of course, but the anniversary of their independence from British and French military rule in 1951.
Tragically the official festivities had to be canceled after Libya suffered its first suicide bomb attack on Sunday: 13 soldiers were killed at an army checkpoint 50 km from the main eastern city of Benghazi.
This change in jihadist tactics will no doubt be seen by some as yet further confirmation that Libya is too chaotic to be helped. Yet the opposite is true: It is a signal that the world can no longer afford to stand aside as this oil-rich nation of 6 million people appears to slide into chaos.