VLADIMIR PUTIN

With Moammar Gadhafi now dead and buried, Libya begins the rebuilding process and plans for the future.

The hypocrisy and opportunism in other capitals don't absolve Gadhafi of the crimes he committed against ordinary Libyans, against humanity. But there is something sinister and sleazy about the current consensus in world capitals about how utterly wretched Gadhafi was.

For the small club of companies who trade the food, fuels and metals that keep the world running, the last decade has been sensational. Driven by the rise of Brazil, China, India and other fast-growing economies, the global commodities boom has turbocharged profits at the world's biggest trading houses.

As Libyans flood the streets waving flags and automatic weapons, world leaders like President Obama, David Cameron, and the Vatican expressed hope for Libya's future and urged Libyans to focus on rebuilding a nation torn by civil war. Venezuelan Hugo Chavez, a long-time ally of Gadhafi, condemned the Libyan leader's death. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has remained silent on the result of what he deemed a call to crusades by Western leaders.