Peace can be achieved with global cooperation 
Last Tuesday, September 11th, 2012, veteran U.S. ambassador J. Christopher Stevens died amid the violence of a prolonged attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya while on a routine visit to further strengthen the growing bond between Americans and Libyans. The heart-wrenching death of an ambassador that routinely went above and beyond the call of duty in his pursuit to establish a sense of justice, security and democracy for the good people of Libya has already become a torrent for political diatribe, though his legacy will carry far more weight than an election season battleground could ever designate so.
Stevens was more than a mere emissary. He was a friend and hero to the Libyans he spent his entire career in Foreign Service helping. He routinely threw himself into the fire to do what was right, and was far more than the typical coolly dressed, cocktail-sipping and handshake-gathering diplomat. Just over a year ago, Stevens was aboard a Greek cargo ship en route to the heart of the Libyan rebellion to establish a safe zone for the armed rebels uprooting tyrant Muammar Gaddafi. He believed wholeheartedly in the people of Libya and the good that could come about from their country, making his death and its recoil all the more tragic. It's for that reason, Steven's faith, that we must keep on the long, hard road ahead of us in the Middle East, though it's not a path the US can travel alone.
Ambassador Stevens will have died in vain should the U.S. pull its support from Libya now. Though the same violent force that haunts the Middle East is responsible for his death, the ferocious ideology of few by no means is indicative of the goodness in many, as made evident by Stevens' dedication to the Middle East's chance at prosperity. There is rich hope for these people and their country despite the shapeless, ravenous legion of Islamic zealots that taint the country, though the challenge of eliminating this hatred may prove to be the most daunting task of the 21st century. The few extremists that dwell in the shadows of the Middle East are an enemy that diplomacy cannot conquer, especially when the sanctity of our diplomats cannot be guaranteed.
Although another occupation is the last thing the United States needs right now, not to mention the last thing the U.S. would be able to afford, the violence in the Middle East can be surmounted with a global effort. No peace will ever be found for these people until the nations of the world can band together to systematically dispose of the opposition that not only threatens the pure Libyans, but plagues the entire planet. What requires an exhaustive effort from one country can be accomplished by the coordination of many. Until then, this modern-day Gordian knot will remain tightly bound.
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