BBC Storyville: Mad Dog, Gaddafi's Secret World (2014)
The story of a the son of a Bedouin goatherd sounds almost similar to many other leaders who initially starts a revolution with many big plans to uplift the welfare of the people. He has grand plans but some how many of the plans fall flat. People start asking questioning whilst others support him. He gains absolute power and it corrupts absolutely. His enemies become enemy of the state and witch hunt starts.
One thing leads to another and things spiral out of control. Despot is killed by the same people who hailed him as king. Does it not give you the sense of deja vu?
This documentary makers managed to track down some of the people who were close to the despot when the going was good. Many of them were on the FBI's most wanted list; Gary Korkala, former poison dealer; Frank Terpil; Lutz Kayser, a German rocket scientist.
Muammar Gaddafi's father went out of his way to ensure that his son got some education. Gaddafi hero worshipped President Nasser of Egypt and yearned to build a socialist republic in Libya. After graduating from Royal Military Academy, he masterminded a coup de tat of the Libya royalty King Idris. With the plush of oil money to spend obscenely, he initially invested a lot for the country. Unfortunately, the plans did not really work well. For example, schools were built but then there were no teachers to teach. Gaddafi soon developed a sense of grandiosity. He started financing terrorist activities. He became suspicious of his enemies. Anwar Sadat who tried to patch up with the Isralites became his enemy. Gaddafi even offered a reward for his assassination. As his influence waned in the Arab world, he started associating himself with the rest of Africa. He was close to Idi Amin and he called himself the King of Africa.
He openly supported the famed assassin Carlos the Jackal and Charles Taylor, the dictator from Liberia. Even the Africans started laughing at him.
He is said to have brokered the 1988 Pan Am 103 explosion in Lockerbie, Scotland.
International sanction of Libya followed. Gaddafi became a lonely man suspicious of all around him. He had a band of female bodyguards. He shot a local plane down just to show to the international audience and local people on the atrocity of international sanctions. He had a harem of girls and boys to entertain him. He was an avid user of Viagra. He even had a band of soldiers to apprehend young university students that pleases his eyes to gratify his urges.
Another grandiose plan of his is to be a nuclear power. Admiring Pakistan for their nuclear capabilities, he tried to engage a certain Pakistani scientist to this end. He also tried to buy Soviet bombs but in vain.
At one juncture, he was caught red handed trying to smuggle nuclear centrifuge part. Libya was warned as it might have the same fate as Iraq. Time went on...
Suddenly, the superpowers of the world lifted international sanctions. Libya and Gaddafi were no ore international pariahs, all in the name of oil and gas.
A rebel uprising in 2011 opposing widespread hardship and corruption executed him.
One thing leads to another and things spiral out of control. Despot is killed by the same people who hailed him as king. Does it not give you the sense of deja vu?
This documentary makers managed to track down some of the people who were close to the despot when the going was good. Many of them were on the FBI's most wanted list; Gary Korkala, former poison dealer; Frank Terpil; Lutz Kayser, a German rocket scientist.
Muammar Gaddafi's father went out of his way to ensure that his son got some education. Gaddafi hero worshipped President Nasser of Egypt and yearned to build a socialist republic in Libya. After graduating from Royal Military Academy, he masterminded a coup de tat of the Libya royalty King Idris. With the plush of oil money to spend obscenely, he initially invested a lot for the country. Unfortunately, the plans did not really work well. For example, schools were built but then there were no teachers to teach. Gaddafi soon developed a sense of grandiosity. He started financing terrorist activities. He became suspicious of his enemies. Anwar Sadat who tried to patch up with the Isralites became his enemy. Gaddafi even offered a reward for his assassination. As his influence waned in the Arab world, he started associating himself with the rest of Africa. He was close to Idi Amin and he called himself the King of Africa.
He openly supported the famed assassin Carlos the Jackal and Charles Taylor, the dictator from Liberia. Even the Africans started laughing at him.
He is said to have brokered the 1988 Pan Am 103 explosion in Lockerbie, Scotland.
International sanction of Libya followed. Gaddafi became a lonely man suspicious of all around him. He had a band of female bodyguards. He shot a local plane down just to show to the international audience and local people on the atrocity of international sanctions. He had a harem of girls and boys to entertain him. He was an avid user of Viagra. He even had a band of soldiers to apprehend young university students that pleases his eyes to gratify his urges.
Another grandiose plan of his is to be a nuclear power. Admiring Pakistan for their nuclear capabilities, he tried to engage a certain Pakistani scientist to this end. He also tried to buy Soviet bombs but in vain.At one juncture, he was caught red handed trying to smuggle nuclear centrifuge part. Libya was warned as it might have the same fate as Iraq. Time went on...
Suddenly, the superpowers of the world lifted international sanctions. Libya and Gaddafi were no ore international pariahs, all in the name of oil and gas.
A rebel uprising in 2011 opposing widespread hardship and corruption executed him.
No comments:
Post a Comment