Muammar al-Gaddafi: Friend or Foe?

Muammar al-Gaddafi, effectively the leader of Libya, is a man who historically has show he is not above using violence and repressive tactics when and if his regime is threatened. He has called for political assassination as a tool and has sent agents out to carry out his wishes. After decades of economic sanctions and diplomatic sanction, he is trying to improve his relationship with the west. This has included his admission his country had had an active weapons of mass destructions programs. Two years prior to September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Libya pledged its commitment to fighting Al-Qaeda. Following the attacks of September 11, Gaddafi made one of the strongest accusations of the Al-Qaeda bombers by any Muslim leader. He was even interviewed on ABC by George Stephanopoulos.


"In his four decades as Libya's Brother Leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has gone from being the epitome of revolutionary chic to an eccentric states man with entirely benign relations with the West." ~ David Blair, Diplomatic editor for The Daily Telegraph

• Given Gaddafi's history, should we really trust him? Or can a man really change so dramatically?

Gaddafi from an early age showed his true colors. In 1961 he was expelled for his political activities. From the Serbha prep school in Sidra. Later while attending the Benghazi Military academy, he and his friends organized a secret group that wanted to over throw the pro-western Libyan monarchy. For years the now Colonel Gaddafi, with a few other young officers, staged a coup de'etat, or take over, in Tripoli against the King Idris I. A subsequent power struggle ensued between Gaddafi and his young supporters, and older senior offices and citizens. Gaining support from Egypt, he was able to eliminate this opposition.

Later Gaddafi assumed power and named the country the Libyan Arab Republic. Initially he ruled as president of the Revolutionary Command Council. But later switched to the title of president of the People's General Congress. Later he renounced all official titles but remained in power as head of Libya. A blend of Arab and nationalism in social welfare he described his philosophy as "Islamic Socialism." In 1976, he published his philosophy in a book called the Green Book. When Nasser of Egypt died, Gaddafi tried to assume the role of leader of Arab Nationalism. The Federation of Arab Republic as he called it included Egypt, Libya, and Seria. He subsequently tried to merge Tunisia and Libya once again failing. In face of both these failures he proposed the creation of a Saharan Islamic State.


Gaddafi had provided a general support for any liberation moment that contacted him but is mostly known for his support for the Paletine Liberation Organization (PLO). In the west we see him as the primary source of fund for international terrorism. He has been implicated in black September, the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic games and the bombing in 1986 of a Berlin night club. In 1986 under Ronald Regan, the US attacked Libyan patrol boats in the Gulf of Sidra and subsequently bombed targets in Tripoli and Benghazi. Economic sanctions against Libya including diplomatic isolation, followed his refusal to hand over the other two Libyans accused of the Lockerbie Bombings in Scotland.

~ Tony Blair and Muammar Gaddafi

In 2003 following overthrow of Saddam Hussein he announced to the world he had a weapons of mass destructions program. However he did not allow international inspector to dismantle them. This was generally believed to be a move to normalize relationships with the hopes that he could get the sanctions removed. Later international inspectors who hwere finally allowed in, found several tons of chemical weaponry and well as an active nuclear weapons program. Relationships with the western world continued to improve and by March 2004 Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK visited Libya and publicly met Gaddafi. It had been decades since any other western leader had been there. Blair went as far as to praise Gaddafi's more recent acts and proclaimed that Libya could be a strong ally in the international war on terrorism.


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