Col. Mu’ammar Abu-Minyar al-Qadhafi in his early years. (Photo from: bbc.co.uk)
Name: Mu’ammar Abu-Minyar al-Qadhafi
Birth: June 7, 1942 (Surt, Tripolitania – then administrative district of Libya)
Education: with a degree in Law at the University of Libya; entered Military Academy in Benghazi
Political View: Islamic Socialism (a “euphemism” for direct, popular democracy)
Colonel Qadhafi earned a reputation among many Africans as an experienced, wise statesman who has been in the forefront of many years of struggles.
He also held the reputation as one of the Africa’s longest-serving, post colonial heads of the state; a dictator of Libya since 1969 when he toppled King Idris I (Sidi Muhammad Idris al-Mahdi as-Sanusi) in a bloodless coup at the age of 27 and the third longest-serving world ruler.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
Qadhafi was the youngest child born to a peasant family of desert nomads. As his grown-up culture or as a way of life, he still travels with a Bedouin tent for welcoming and entertaining guests and visitors wherever he goes.
As a schoolboy, Qadhafi was expelled for pro-Nasser activism that was aligned with the Arab unification-promoting slogan. (Gamal Abdel Nasser, Qadhafi’s inspiration, rose to the presidency by appealing to Arab unity.)
Qadhafi went to study law in the University of Libya and graduated with high grades. He, then, entered the military academy in Benghazi in 1963 where he organized a secretive group passion to overthrow the pro-Western Libyan monarchy. He graduated in 1965 and was sent to further his training at the British Army Staff College (now, Joint Services Command and Staff College) then returned as a commissioned officer in the Signal Corps.
POLITICAL AND RECENT LIFE
Colonel Qadhafi is the leader of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Theoretically, this organization is a “state of the masses,” governed by the people through a system of local councils; while in practice, it is through a military dictatorship controlled by Qadhafi, himself.
Qadhafi wrote about his Islamic socialist philosophy in his so-called, Green Book that attempts to explain the dialectic principles exist between marxism and capitalism.
In his book, he proposed his Third Universal Theory, a theory of social harmony beyond communism and capitalism. In my opinion, this Third Universal Theory either favors in more advanced way or antagonizes the communist principle of social harmony. He institutionalized in his book that there was a third way, beyond communism and capitalism, through which the principle or the social goal in achieving social harmony could be realized based around democracy, equality, and communion with nature. Ergo, the basis of his Third Universal Theory can be concluded subtly or boldly as based on social struggle -– the basis of the movement of history and of survival.
For many years, Qadhafi was infamous for constantly supporting terrorist organizations (such as, Irish Republican Army or IRA in Ireland and the Spanish Basque separatist movement, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA). He was also identified in harboring the two terrorists responsible for Pam Am flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie in Scotland.
Throughout 1990s, this situation brings Libya to endure economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation resulted from Qadhafi’s refusal to accept responsibility and refusal to allow the extradition of the two harbored terrorists.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Qadhafi emerged as a popular African leader. He has earned the praise of Nelson Mandela and among others and as always a prominent figure in various pan-American organizations.
He also continued seeking for rebuilding relationships in the West (US and Europe).
After Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003, Qadhafi announced that his country has active weapons of mass destruction and that he was willing to allow international inspectors to observe his country and dismantle it.
Western visits to Qadhafi’s kingdom started and seemed Qadhafi’s goal to relationships rehabilitation with the West is fast becoming. United States of America restores full diplomatic relations with Libya once Qadhafi’s weapons of mass destruction programme be abandoned.
Prime Minister Tony Blaire, in March 2004, became one of the first western leaders in decades to visit Libya and meet Qadhafi publicly. This visit paved the road for greater cooperation between Libya and the United Kingdom. This also pursued trade deals between the two nations. This also helped legitimize Qadhafi’s earnest objective to rebuilding relationships with the West.
Then followed to visit Nicolas Sarkozy, French president,who signed a number of bilateral and multilateral European agreements with Libya in July 2007. And the rest became Libya’s and the West’s history…
Amidst appearing to be exerting effort to progress even beyond international issues were concerned, Qadhafi was accused of allegedly running his country through suppression of political opponents by holding people without reason or trial. He was also accused of trafficking slaves. He became infamous for having an all-female bodyguards, condemned, and opposed by actions and principles especially in the West, where he then rehabilitating relationships with them.
United States and EU withdrew their support of Qadhafi.
Protests walked and submerged the streets in Libya. Unwilling to be ousted like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Qadhafi allegedly ordered a violent crackdown on protesters. Qadhafi responded by using military force and mercenaries to wipe out rebels.
With the interest to protect civilians, the United Nations (UN) declared “no fly zone” over the country in March 2011.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces also involved in UN’s interest to save civilian from Qadhafi’s forces.
Then the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant of arrest to Qadhafi for crimes against humanity in June 2011.
Chaos and fighting in Libya intensified. Rebel forces gained control over the capital, Tripoli. Qadhafi’s place was taken over and his son captured and detained but has escaped.
However, in a recorded voice, Qadhafi declared: continue fighting!
ASSESSMENT
Libya’s Overview. Libya stretches along the northeast coast of Africa between Tunisia and Algeria on the west and Egypt on the east. Much of the country lies within the Sahara.
Libya has a military dictatorship government that governed by Col. Mu’ammar Abu-Minyar al-Qadhafi.
Libya was the scene of much desert fighting during World War II. After the fall of Tripoli on January 23, 1943, it came under Allied administration. In 1949, the UN voted that Libya should become independent, and in 1951 it became the United Kingdom of Libya.
Oil was discovered in the impoverished country in 1958 and eventually transformed its economy. . . .
Conclusion. The crisis in Libya was not new in the world’s stage of hegemony. However, it was just in a small-scale battle, yet with a preponderance of the game of western imperialism.
To remember, Qadhafi has his willingness to gain camaraderie between the Giants and the Dwarves in the West. People of common sense, understood this Qadhafi’s game as “join and clash” strategy in advancing domination over whatever points of significance.
However, people of extreme understanding, express their supports… but with secretive conditions. Knowingly or unknowingly, Qadhafi took their baits up to what his political blueprint would likely be.
Based on Qadhafi’s political philosophy, I submissively point out that his Green Book could have been of no difference with the Communist’s Manifesto, which theoretically emphasizing social harmony, yet pragmatically abolishing the existence of the essence of social equality.
In my view, both theories imprinted on his Green Book and on the Communist’s Manifesto are dreaming of a Utopia -– a paradise of plain dream, wishful thinking, fool’s promises just to advance self-interest to rule the world through civil war or genocide.
Today, the world maybe upside down, and the center peripheries still have and always been aware of the United States or worst the Triad imperialism*-– a collaborative hegemony over the world’s political, economic, and socio-cultural interventions.
Ergo, the support that Qadhafi has earned during his days of ambition to gain political influence expansion with the West was but farcical -- a political comic striptease in the theater called, “MASK MY FACE, THEN I UNMASK YOURS“.
The US and the EU basically are aware, I thought, with this kind of imperialist strategy –- being at their “common meals every time they went into topical soiree or party”.
The bottom line for almost all crises embracing the world is perhaps a one-of-a-kind strategy imperialists have planned through their intelligent mercenaries to “befriend-and-kill” promising nations, which were considered as THREAT! Threat to the US hegemony to the Triad imperialism. . . .
Qadhafi like Libyans is a victim — a victim of cannibalism in world’s politics, treachery, world leaders’ dirty games, and worst a victim of aggression. The Philippines has not become an exception of the imperialist’s rule. . . .
Imperialism is a never-ending struggle as long as the authors of this unfair economic and political game exist. Triad imperialism is evident throughout nations’ history, progress, and development. Thus, every one of us, sons and daughters of our kind nation must be vigilant to sense out imperialists’ claw crawling toward our shore of national identity -– an affront to country’s sovereignty!
References:
- http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/colonel-gadaffi.html
- http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/menaregion/pages/lyindex.aspx
- http://www.biography.com/articles/muammar-al-qaddafi-39014
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/08/22/gadhafi-profile.html
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12488278
- http://worldnews.about.com/od/libya/p/gadhafi.htm
- http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107722.html
- http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Qaddafi.html
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*Triad imperialism means USA, UK, and Japan collaboration of dominating the world in terms of capital, culture, political, and economic.
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Filed under: Laws and Jurisprudence, Opinion and Social Issues Tagged: | Libya, marxism and capitalism, Muammar al-Gaddafi, qadhafi, saddam hussein, third universal theory, US hegemony, weapons of mass destruction
[...] Mu’ammar Qadhafi…VICTIM of the State of US Hegemony? by Regel Q. Javines at wordpress.com [...]
stop the war…nothing happen if we just only think our own interest.
Stopping the war of aggression is one bold step that no one could possibly do it. While we are thinking of our own interest, we could not even stop thinking of others defeat, right? Sounds like sympathetic or whatever, stopping is dynamic; it means essentially a constant shift… And you are right to call for “Stop the War of Aggression” since US hegemony is continuously unfolding to intimidate weaker nations at-large!