According to this Foreign Policy report, Gaddafi's friends are mostly African leaders, some in good standing, others not. While this picture seems enticing, it leaves much to be desired. When talking of Gaddafi's friends, the list must include George Bush, who took Gaddafi off the list of rogue leaders, resulting in Gaddafi's memorably long speech at the United Nations in New York (how times change!). It must include Nicholas Sarkozy, who took money from Gaddafi to run his campaign but is now bombing him because things have turned ugly. It must include all those in the US, Europe, and Asia who have benefited from Gaddafi's 40 years of oppressing his people. True, African leaders are in his debt but they are not alone. I thought the time had passed for such a subtle attempt to paint Africa in roguish colors.
1 comment:
Friendships seem to become much more fluid during times of conflict. Gaddafi's 'friendships' with the US and France are now ignored as inconsequential things of the past. Other African leaders of the African Union are trying to salvage what remains of their 'friendships' with Gaddafi but they obviously did not try hard enough because the no-fly zone was created a few days before any other African leaders even attempted to facilitate discussions with Gaddafi. Friendships in these situations come down to power and whose side one wants to be on at the end of the day and so friendship seems like much too kind a word to describe these fluid relationships that are so dependent on the political atmosphere.
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