Gaddafi was probably right in his delirium, when he said he felt betrayed by Western leaders calling for him to step down.
In fact, his legitimacy did not come from the Libyan people, as he constantly repeats (”I can’t resign since I am not president”). He’s been unofficially recognised as king of Libya for 41 years by the international trades revolving around gas and oil reserves.
From Andy Ventura's Flickr
Cyrenaica-based opposition forces recently said to be disgusted as the Western countries cared “more about oil than our blood.” For years, contractors reaped the wealth coming from oil benefits to the tune of millions of dollars.
But Gaddafi has now lost control of the oil production, the economy has ceased to function and foreign workers are fleeing the country. Barack Obama did not speak a word until 23 February, when he condemned the violence but took no action. Following his example, every shrewd country was quick to shrug the dictator off its shoulders. Even China and Italy were surprisingly sympathetic with the international attitude.
Gaddafi’s destiny is similar to Mubarak’s one, to some extent. Few months ago, he was known worldwide as the Egyptian president. On the emotional wave following the so-called Egyptian revolution, the Western media operated a radical shift in his status: Mubarak turned out to be a dictator, not a president anymore.
Similarly, it was almost impossible on the surface not to consider Gaddafi as a mad dog for both his extravagant habits and his oppressive dominion over the country; still, he managed to hold the political and commercial privileges of a proper head of state: he has been welcomed several times by former ally Silvio Berlusconi as a legitimate president, and wherever he went, he got his oddest extravagances to be pleased; in 2008, his son was awarded with a doctorate in London’s most prestigious university and his family controls many assets in England; last but not least, the UN High Commission of Human Right openly scolded the UK over arms sales to the regime and multi-million-pound trades daily made with Libya, following Tony Blair’s “deal in the desert” in 2007.
But things have changed. The UN Security Council referred the dictator to the ICC and all his assets were frozen. Downing Street is even contemplating the possibility of a military invasion to re-establish peace in the country. Yet, as former Economist‘s Bill Emmott suggested, US and EU countries keep giving the impression of lacking a long term strategy to integrate Northern Africa countries in the mainstream trade circuit. A step forward towards clear and transparent economic policies between Western countries and Muslim ones is needed. The world is fed up with commercial ambiguities and under-the-table trades with the dodgiest dictatorships: it’s time for the so-called first world to be clear in its policies and straightforward in its judgments.
After having accepted a £1.5million offer of research funding from a foundation controlled by Saif Gaddafi, LSE director Sir Howard Davies admitted embarrassment at relationship with the Libyan regime. It looks like a sort of metaphor, in a way: it’s too easy to blush once blood is shed.
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