[namecast]

Sorry, but this is so reductive that it descends into prejudice.

The Gadhaffi regime is to blame for all of these things; pinning them on 'Libyan culture' is not even wrong.

I'm not sure what else to say. Please consider editing this comment; I'm sure it was poorly worded as a response to the original poster, and you don't actually mean this.

[peteretep]

I mean this. A facile defence of a whole nation on the basis that they aren't sufficiently savvy or worldly wise and the mean Westerners took advantage of their trusting nature is as offensive as - and shown to be as such by comparison with - an equally reductionist counter point. It's simply the grossly offensive "noble savage" idea rehashed.