U.S. Government
Gaddafi: “All My People Love Me”
Longtime Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is in need of a serious reality check. Or a one-way ticket out of the country he’s ruled since Richard Nixon occupied the White House. The North African tyrant has lost the plot, denying that there have been any protests in Tripoli and telling the BBC that he is loved by all his people. “My people love me,” he said, laughing away the suggestion that he would soon leave Libya. He accused Western countries of abandoning him and insisted he could not step down because he doesn’t have an official position and that power lies with the people.
Those people are taking control of more and more of the country. Anti-government protesters now control most of eastern Libya, including Benghazi, the nation’s second-largest city. They also control Tobruk, Ajdabiya, and Misurata, where anti-Gaddafi forces have repelled a government attack. Reformist forces also control the city of Zawiya, about 50 kilometers west of Tripoli, but large numbers of government forces have surrounded the city and residents are expecting an attack at any moment.
More than 100,000 people have fled the country, with about 1,000 crossing into neighboring Tunisia every hour.
Gaddafi’s world seems to be collapsing around him. The US Treasury has blocked $30 billion in Libyan assets, the largest amount ever frozen by the agency.The European Union and United Nations have imposed sanctions, including an arms embargo, asset freeze and a travel ban on the dictator and his inner circle. US naval warships are heading towards Libya and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that “it is time for Gaddafi to go, now, without further violence or delay.” She joins foreign ministers from around the globe who gathered at a UN human rights conference in Geneva, Switzerland. They all agree the tyrant must go.
Despite his shrinking world, Gaddafi remains defiant even as he seems to be losing his grip on reality. He lashed out at his critics, both foreign and domestic, and claimed that demonstrators were under the influence of “hallucinogenic pills” supplied by al-Qaeda. In a desperate attempt to curry favor with the Libyan people, he announced a $450 payout to all families, the equivalent of a month or two’s salary. There were long lines at banks today as people tried to collect this money.
Still, it looks as if Gaddafi’s days are numbered. It also looks like he won’t go down as easily as the ex-dictators of Tunisia and Egypt. The world is bracing for more tumultuous days ahead in Libya, and hoping for a speedy resolution to this dangerous crisis.
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DuncanFebruary 28, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I hope this doesn’t drag on too long. Gaddafi, and to a lesser extent his son, is deluded, it’s sad that the stubbornness of one man can cause so much anguish. Let’s hope that what comes out after all this is over is better than Gaddafi’s regime.
Moral Low GroundFebruary 28, 2011 at 1:08 pmAuthor
Deluded indeed. Never thought I’d say this, but Mubarak’s exit was downright gentlemanly when compared to Gaddafi’s deadly defiance.
j krossMarch 5, 2011 at 12:13 am
As Gaddafi says, “you don’t undertand me”. Quite right by his own definition. The people “love him” and he is returning the favour. People still cannot detect Gaddafi’s sarcasm.