Via Hesiod, here's an interesting interview with Muammar Qaddafi from Le Figaro last week. Qaddafi might not be the most reliable source, but the interview is interesting as it does show some of his distaste for Arab leaders (which was part of the reason for his decision to effectively give up on the Arab League and concentrate his efforts on the African Union instead) and his reading of the Bin Laden situation:
Everything that’s going on now serves the interest of Osama bin Laden. He sets himself up as a savior against a dominating, hegemonic America. In many Arab countries, Bin Laden is seen as a resistance hero.
I think it's something that a lot of people forget about Qaddafi and Libya - because of the vision of Libya as an Arabic 'rogue nation', there's a tendency to forget that it's also one of the most secular Arab and North African states (part of the reason behind the disgust at the Arab League, I believe) and thus fears any sudden rising of Islamic fundamentalism, especially as it borders Egypt and Algeria.
Everything that’s going on now serves the interest of Osama bin Laden. He sets himself up as a savior against a dominating, hegemonic America. In many Arab countries, Bin Laden is seen as a resistance hero.
I think it's something that a lot of people forget about Qaddafi and Libya - because of the vision of Libya as an Arabic 'rogue nation', there's a tendency to forget that it's also one of the most secular Arab and North African states (part of the reason behind the disgust at the Arab League, I believe) and thus fears any sudden rising of Islamic fundamentalism, especially as it borders Egypt and Algeria.



0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home