Reading the papers today I was struck by the quality of coverage on North Korea and the evil masterminds behind one of the most closed countries on earth. There was a lot of talk about how in a globalised world, North Korea and countries such as Cuba would be forced to change due to the tidal wave of democratisation unleashed by the Arab Spring. There was also a lot of naivety about Europe being a [...]
It has recently emerged that the Chief Prosecutor at the ICC (International Criminal Court) has declared the killing of Gaddafi in such a way that it ‘creates suspicions’ of war crimes. Gaddafi was killed in late October when he was caught between cross fire in his home town of Sirte. Although critics dispute the ‘accidental nature’ of the unfolding situation- claiming he had been executed on the spot by rebels- NATO quickly accepted his death [...]
There are no qualms about wanting to remove Gaddafi from power and democratise Libya for the good of the people. But let’s get one thing straight, never have the intentions of a political and military entity such as NATO been to safeguard civilian life. What lay behind the initial goal of his removal from power was the creation of the Gold Dinar, a currency that would have rivalled that of the Dollar and the Euro. It was [...]
As I walked to the newsstand the other morning, I was met with the graphic images that depicted Colonel Gaddafi’s grizzly death. Whether you agree that such pictures should have been published, we can all accept that they did not make for pleasant viewing. For me though, just as grotesque was the reaction from our some of our newspapers and our politicians – specifically the way in which the killing was presented as an act [...]
I hope I am not alone in seeing a very unfortunate irony. Through the ‘Arab Spring’, the world has been witness to a democratic awakening. Staggeringly brave and forceful populist uprisings have taken root to induce a domino effect spanning Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, and Libya. Indeed, this thirst for people power and autocratic government to be rolled back shows no sign of abating, with the despotic al-Assad of Syria in real danger of being tossed [...]
On Thursday, I and my colleague Jonathan Tanner reported on the death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator who spent months in hiding after being deposed by his own people (with the help of NATO) following over forty years of brutal oppression. Colonel Gaddafi saw himself as some kind of Arab Napoleon. Well, on Thursday the Napoleon of North Africa finally met his Waterloo. The Libyan people put down the “Mad Dog” with less shrift [...]
There will doubtless be numerous remarks on how fitting an end ‘Colonel’ Gaddafi met with, hiding in a sewer and begging for the mercy he neither deserved nor received. Few will be sorry to see him go (except, presumably, left-liberals who would rather he had been imprisoned and ‘rehabilitated’). But let us not rejoice his death too readily. Gadaffi’s demise will make the Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad even more determined to cling to power. Tyrants [...]
The 20th of October 2011 was a truly dramatic day for Libyans everywhere. After over four decades of tyrannical rule and about six months on the run Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was captured by government forces near his home town of Sirte. He died shortly afterwards, most probably by an execution style bullet to the head. A nasty and brutish death to be sure and a clear breach of international laws governing the treatment of prisoners [...]
Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, ‘Brother Leader and Guide of the Revolution, King of Kings’, is dead. Colonel Gaddafi took power in Libya in 1969, when he overthrew King Idris I and abolished the Libyan monarchy. Colonel Gaddafi went on to rule for forty-one years – the fourth longest-ruling non-royal head of state since 1900 and the longest-ruling Arab leader (completely outstripping the various kings, emirs, sultans and sheikhs of that region). Over the last four decades, Libya [...]