Saturday, October 22, 2011
Muammar Gaddafi
I saw Gaddafi as a negative and destructive force in the world. Two of my friends, educators, one in India and another in Pakistan, held Gaddafi in higher regard. The educator in South India saw Gaddafi as a champion of socialism and an opposition to European and American imperialistic exploitation. The educator in Pakistan complained that Gaddafi was a "king" and his body should have been treated with more respect. I resolved to read up on Gaddafi and see if I could find some positive facts to justify their admiration. My main source is Wikipedia. Here are my comments plus Wiki excerpts : I cannot admire a mentally disturbed narcissist like Gaddafi. Like I said, they should have assassinated him 30 years ago. Such tyrants exploit their nation as their own personal treasury to gratify their ego and their base desires. I can'...t understand why a nation puts up with such a dictator for years. I don't know the details of Gaddafi's death but I bet if anyone mistreated his body it was Muslims driven by tribal discord and not the non-Muslims. Read up on what the Italians did to Mussolini. When you read about someone being beheaded or a woman having acid thrown in their face, or sending a brother to kill a sister in an honor killing, or chopping off a hand and a foot, it isn't something that happened in America and it isn't n...on-Muslims who do it. Think about that fact for a while. I have a lot more admiration for someone like Osama bin Laden than I do for Gaddafi for the following reasons: Osama was a wealthy man who gave up a life of pleasure to pursue an ideal he believed in. Gadaffi enslaved his own people in order to indulge his sick ego and enjoy a life of luxury. I dont agree with Osama's beliefs or the means that he employed to achieve his ends but one must admire a brave and clever enemy. I see nothing brave or clever in Gadaffi's or Saddam Hussein's life worthy of admiration. The educator in India states: William Buell, you speak of Qadafi's ego, his wardrobe, his women body guards..but let me tell you all his clothes were stiched by his Arab tailors...that way he gave them employment, food ans shelter......what of the French President is h...e all clean ? Have Us Presidents given us a record of their personal and public lives that we can grant them a clean chit ? And for the Englishman's formal clothes and the branding that goes along...fortunes have been spent..they are not as crude as Qadafi's glittery fancy robes.If you know that he is "narsicisstic" I know that he was a socialist at heart as well (because a good friend lived in Libya for twelve years when there was a US embargo). Islam has its great side as well..is very equitable and advocates fraternal love. It is great to see that in practice. Fundamentalists are there in all pockets and we cant have the founding fathers of so called "democracy" killing for the "establishment of democracy" because such acts are undemocratic. And we heard Qadafi's pan Am bombing case over the news so many times yesterday as if to say "today we avenged" . If democracy believes in "fair trial" can we have democracy in Libya founded on th gory death of a "dictator" as Muammar Qadhafi ? Does your newspaper or other media sing any paens of the establishment of democracy in Iraq-Iran after the "d...ictatorial regime" of Saddam Hussein ? Before that, is the popular media fair ? While the perpetraters of democracy had the time, interest, energies, resources and resolve to hunt down Osama Bin Laden, I do not see them showing the same concern about the victims of the floods in the Sindh province ? What does the WHO say about its relief operations in Sindh ? There are enough atrocities that are taking place in the far West and the so called advocates of establishing a "democratic world" -who were themselves brutal and savage around 500 yeras ago and have killed a Galilio for what he said, and who needed a "Copernican Revolution" to reveal what the East knew eversince- must learn to mind their own business and leave things in the Middle East to nature and evolution ! this "humanatarian" farce is getting f too far and is a new form of colonization...and this time it is for "crude oil" . Beware of the media and employ your own senses to understand the world around you ! Thank you for liking what I have to say and it takes a man like you to actually empthasize. Any others may call me fanatic, because the media is now on its rounds making Qadafi the scapegoat.Good people should lead public affairs,media and education, like the Raja-rishi's of yore or what you call philosopher-kings...and that could make all the difference ! William replies:
Wikipedia is not a bad place to start
After seizing power in 1969, he abolished the Libyan Constitution of 1951. He established laws based on the political ideology[5] he had formulated, called the Third International Theory and published in The Green Book.[6][7] Rising oil prices and extraction in Libya led to increasing revenues. By exporting as much oil per capita as Saudi Arabia, Libya achieved the highest living standards in Africa. However, at the same time similarly oil-rich Gulf countries improved their living standards much further, and this fact was visible to ordinary Libyans.[8][9] Early during his regime, Gaddafi and his relatives took over much of the economy. Gaddafi started several wars and acquired chemical weapons.[10] The United Nations called Libya under Gaddafi a pariah state.[11][12] In the 1980s, countries around the world imposed sanctions against Gaddafi.[13] Six days after the capture of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2006 by United States troops,[14] Gaddafi renounced Tripoli's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs and welcomed international inspections to verify that he would follow through on the commitment.[15] A leading advocate for a United States of Africa, he served as Chairperson of the African Union (AU) from 2 February 2009 to 31 January 2010.
In February 2011, following revolutions in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, protests against Gaddafi's rule began. These escalated into an uprising that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing a government based in Benghazi named the National Transitional Council (NTC). This led to the 2011 Libyan Civil War, which included a military intervention by a NATO-led coalition to enforce a UN Security Council Resolution 1973 calling for a no-fly zone and protection of civilians in Libya. The assets of Gaddafi and his family were frozen, and both Interpol and the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on 27 June for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senussi, concerning crimes against humanity.[1][16][17][18] Gaddafi and his forces lost the Battle of Tripoli in August, and on 16 September 2011 the NTC took Libya's seat at the UN, replacing Gaddafi.[19] He retained control over parts of Libya, most notably the city of Sirte, to which it was presumed that he had fled.[20] Although Gaddafi's forces initially held out against the NTC's advances, Gaddafi was captured alive as Sirte fell to the rebel forces on Thursday the 20 October 2011, later he had been beaten and killed soon after.
Although often referred to as "Colonel Gaddafi", he was in fact only a Lieutenant when he seized power in 1969.[31] He was, nonetheless, a holder of the honorary rank of Major General, conferred upon him in 1976 by the Arab Socialist Union's National Congress. Gaddafi accepted the honorary rank, but stated that he would continue to be known as "Colonel" and to wear the rank insignia of a Colonel when in uniform.
On gaining power he immediately ordered the shutdown of American and British military bases, including Wheelus Air Base. He told Western officials that he would expel their companies from Libya's oil fields unless they shared more revenue. In his warning, he alluded to consultation with Nasser. The oil companies complied with the demand, increasing Libya's share from 50 to 79 percent.[34] In December 1969, Egyptian intelligence thwarted a planned coup against Gaddafi from high-ranking members of his leadership. Many of the dissenters had grown uneasy with his growing relationship to Egypt.[35] In response to the failed coup, Gaddafi criminalized all political dissent and shared power only with his family and closest associates.[citation needed]
Gaddafi committed ethnic cleansing, expelling Italian settlers in Libya in 1970.[36] Despising the Christian calendar, he replaced it as the country's official with an Islamic calendar.[37] He renamed the months of the calendar. August, named for Augustus Caesar, was renamed Hannibal, and July, after Julius Caesar, was renamed Nasser, for Gamal Abdel Nasser. From 1971 to 1977, Gaddafi approved the Arab Socialist Union, modeled on Egypt's Arab Socialist Union (Egypt), to function as a political party in Libya.
In 1969, Gaddafi created Revolutionary committees to keep tight control over internal dissent. Ten to twenty percent of Libyans worked as informants for these committees. Surveillance took place in the government, in factories, and in the education sector.[39] People who formed a political party were executed, and talking about politics with foreigners was punishable by up to 3 years in jail.[citation needed] Arbitrary arrests were common and Libyans were hesitant to speak with foreigners.[40] The government conducted executions and mutilations of political opponents in public and broadcast recordings of the proceedings on state television. Dissent was illegal under Law 75 of 1973, which denied freedom of expression.[39][41] In 2010, Libya's press was rated as 160th out of 178 nations in the Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.[42]
During the 1970s, Libya executed members of the Islamist fundamentalist Hizb-ut Tahrir faction, and Gaddafi often personally presided over the executions.[43][44] Libya faced internal opposition during the 1980s because of its highly unpopular war with Chad. Numerous young men cut off a fingertip to avoid conscription at the time.[45] A mutiny by the Libyan Army in Tobruk was violently suppressed in August 1980.[46]
From time to time Gaddafi responded to external opposition with violence. Between 1980 and 1987, Gaddafi employed his network of diplomats and recruits to assassinate at least 25 critics living abroad.[39][47] His revolutionary committees called for the assassination of Libyan dissidents living abroad in April 1980, sending Libyan hit squads abroad to murder them. On 26 April 1980 Gaddafi set a deadline of 11 June 1980 for dissidents to return home or be "in the hands of the revolutionary committees".[48] Gaddafi stated explicitly in 1982 that "It is the Libyan people's responsibility to liquidate such scums who are distorting Libya's image abroad."[49] Libyan agents have assassinated dissidents in the United States,[50] Europe,[51] and the Middle East.[39][49][52] As of 2004 Libya still provided bounties on critics, including $1 million for one journalist.[53] During the 2005 civil unrest in France, Gaddafi called Chirac and offered him his help in quelling the resistors, who were largely North African.[54] There are growing indications that Libya's Gaddafi-era intelligence service had a cozy relationship with western spy organizations including the CIA, who voluntarily provided information on Libyan dissidents to the regime in exchange for using Libya as a base for extraordinary renditions.[55][56][57]
Following an abortive 1986 attempt to replace English with Russian as the primary foreign language in education,[58] English has been taught in recent years in Libyan schools from primary level, and students have access to English-language media.[59]
Campaign against Berber culture
Gaddafi often expressed an overt contempt for the Berbers, a non-Arab people of North Africa, and for their language, maintaining that the very existence of Berbers in North Africa is a myth created by colonialists. He adopted new names for Berber towns, and on official Libyan maps, referred to the Nafusa Mountains as the "Western mountains".[60] In a 1985 speech, he said of the Berber language, "If your mother transmits you this language, she nourishes you with the milk of the colonialist, she feeds you their poison" (1985).[61] The Berber language was banned from schools and up until 2009, it was illegal for parents to name their children with Berber names.[62] Berbers living in ancient mud-brick caravan towns such as Ghadames were forced out and moved into modern government-constructed apartments in the 1980s.[5] During the 2011 civil war, Berber towns rebelled against Gaddafi's rule and sought to reaffirm their ancient identity as Berbers.[63][64][65] Gaddafi's government strengthened anti-Berber sentiment among Libyan Arabs, weakening their opposition.
Gaddafi shares some things in common with Niyazov of Turkmenistan -
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; (19 February 1940 - 21 December 2006), (Russian: Сапармурат Атаевич Ниязов) (Turkmen: Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow) was a Turkmen politician who served as President (later President for Life) of Turkmenistan from 2 November 1990 until his death in 2006.
Foreign media criticized him as one of the world's most totalitarian and repressive dictators, highlighting his reputation of imposing his personal eccentricities upon the country, which extended to renaming months, which had been borrowed Russian words, after members of his family.[3] Global Witness, a London-based human rights organization, reported that money under Niyazov's control and held overseas may be in excess of US$3 billion, of which between $1.8-$2.6 billion was supposedly situated in the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund at Deutsche Bank in Germany. This following excerpt on Gadaffi from Wikipedia paints the picture of a KLEPTOCRACY rather than a socialist paradise - The Economy of Libya was centrally planned and followed Gaddafi's socialist ideals. It benefited greatly from revenues from the petroleum sector, which contributed practically all export earnings and 30% of its GDP. These oil revenues, combined with a small population and by far Africa's highest Education Index gave Libya the highest nominal GDP per capita in Africa. Between 2000 and 2011, Libya recorded favourable growth rates with an estimated 10.6 percent growth of GDP in 2010, the highest of any state in Africa. Gaddafi had promised "a home for all Libyans" and during his rule, new residential areas rose in empty Saharan regions. Entire populations living in mud-brick caravan towns were moved into modern homes with running water, electricity, and satellite TV.[5] A leaked diplomatic cable describes Libyan economy as "a kleptocracy in which the government — either the al-Gaddafi family itself or its close political allies — has a direct stake in anything worth buying, selling or owning".[18]
Libya may have appeared socialist in name and theory - From 1977 to 2011, Libya was known as the "Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" at the United Nations. The official name during this period was "Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" from 1977 to 1986, and "Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" (Arabic: الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الاشتراكية العظمى al-Jamāhīriyyah al-‘Arabiyyah al-Lībiyyah ash-Sha‘biyyah al-Ishtirākiyyah al-‘Uẓmá
The above excerpt is from this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya
It occurs to me that if we survey severaly thousant years of Libyan history we will see that Libya under Gaddafi was not one of the high points.
