by Damozel | Did you know that Bush is still president? It's true. What are he and his gang of cowboys getting up to do these days?
Secretary Condoleezza Rice, who has been on a "historic visit" to Libya to meet with none other than the one and only Moammar Gaddafi. (BBCNews) She's the first Secretary of State to visit Libya since 1953.
I had sort of forgotten about Gaddafi, who was one of the chief villains of the Reagan era. Reagan called him a "mad dog," in fact.(profile) As his BBC profile says, he was a colorful character. I do remember reading a Vanity Fair interview between him and Orianna Fallaci, but I don't remember much about it, to be truthful. I wasn't political in those days.
The BBC profile reminds me of some of what I picked up about him here and there.
Known for his flamboyant dress-sense and gun-toting female body guards, the Libyan leader is also considered a skilled political operator who moved swiftly to bring his country out of diplomatic isolation....
He laid out his political philosophy in the 1970s in his Green Book, which charted a home-grown alternative to both socialism and capitalism, combined with aspects of Islam.
In 1977 he invented a system called the "Jamahiriya" or "state of the masses", in which power is meant to be held by thousands of "peoples' committees".
The Libyan leader's singular approach is not limited to political philosophy.
On foreign trips he sets up camp in a luxury Bedouin tent and is accompanied by armed female bodyguards - said to be considered less easily distracted than their male counterparts.
A tent is also used to receive visitors in Libya, where Col Gaddafi sits through meetings or interviews swishing the air with a horsehair or palm leaf fly-swatter.(profile)
Apparently his home-grown system wasn't working out as well as he'd hoped. I give the man major props for recognizing this.
Just a few days ago, he celebrated his 39 year tenure---making him the longest-serving leader in the Arab world--- where he discussed his new plan for Libya.
Speaking during celebrations to mark 39 years in power in Libya's second city, Benghazi, Col Gaddafi extolled the virtues of privatisation.
The Libyan leader said society would "reformulate itself in a new, free, and democratic way".
The changes will take place in the next four months, he said. (BBC News 9-1-08)
Four months? That is a very short time to do all that.
"As long as money is administered by a government body, there would be theft and corruption".
He admitted there would be "chaos" while the reforms were implemented but urged people "to be ready" to receive their money....
The BBC's Rana Jawad in the capital, Tripoli, says a leader who once favoured socialism seems to be fully embracing capitalism. (BBC News 9-1-08)
He also said: "There will be no more wars, raids, or acts of terrorism."(BBC News 9-4-08)
Apparently Gaddafi's son---now retiring from politics---had called for some of the reforms now supported by Gaddafi. (BBC News 9-1-08)
Many of the economic changes have been pushed and piloted by the Gaddafi Foundation, a quasi-governmental organisation run by Col Gaddafi's son, Sayf al-Islam Gaddafi.
He has also opened some private media outlets and talked about the importance of respecting human rights.
Some of his speeches have been interpreted as somewhat challenging the orthodox view, but Yousef Sawani, the executive director of the foundation, says Sayf is trying to revitalise rather than repudiate his father's revolution.
"I see the relationship as Sayf being the example of the young Gaddafi, representing the aspirations and the ideals that make up what we may call the Gaddafi project.
"Libyans wholeheartedly support Sayf al-Islam in rejuvenating and re-inventing the Gaddafi ideal and giving it a new lease of life."(BBC News2 9-5-08)
Gaddafi has done a deal with the Italians that sounds as if it could be very beneficial to his people. Last weekend, Italy "agreed to fund huge infrastructure projects, including a motorway all the way along the Mediterranean coast."(BBC News 9-1-08)
In his new character of Scrooge-on-the-morning-after, Gaddafi has also entered into an important agreement with the US. Earlier this month, he agreed to pay compensation to victims of the 1988 Lockherbie aircraft bombing. It's been a long time in coming. According to the BBC, the agreement "will also address Libyan claims arising from US attacks on the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and Benghazi in 1986," (BBC 8-14-08) meaning that they will also get compensation.
Secretary Rice's visit was a "reward," says the BBC, for Gaddafi's assent to the agreement. (BBC 9-5-08) Of course, there might be other considerations.
Libya's is Africa's third largest oil producer after Angola and Nigeria.(BBC News 9-1-08)
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Oil and gas have fuelled Libya's reappraisal by Western governments.
Tripoli is, in essence, one large construction site, as billions of dollars pour into the economy from international companies keen to build hotels, office blocks and luxurious shopping centres.
All that money is allowing the authorities to reduce the state's role in the economy.(BBC News2 9-5-08)
On the other hand....there always is an other hand. He hasn't yet transferred the hundreds of millions into the humanitarian account. (BBC News 9-5-2008) That's another thing Rice wants to talk to him about.
A trade and investment agreement may also be signed and the two countries have been negotiating a military memorandum to co-operate on fighting terrorism.(BBC News 9-5-2008)
There is also the question of human rights abuses under his regime..
At home, the Libyan leader presents himself as the spiritual guide of the nation, overseeing what he says is a version of direct democracy.
In practice, critics say, Col Gadaffi has retained absolute, authoritarian control.
Dissent has been ruthlessly crushed and the media remains under strict government control....
The regime has imprisoned hundreds of people for violating the law and sentenced some to death, Human Rights Watch says.
Torture and disappearances have also been reported.(BBC News 9-4-2008)
Gaddafi is also pushing for African unity.
Africa's political leaders are lukewarm about his vision of merging their powers to create a single government.
"We want an African military to defend Africa, we want a single African currency, we want one African passport to travel within Africa," Col Gaddafi told the assembled dignitaries, who come from countries such as Mozambique, South Africa, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo.(BBC News)
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