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"I am a Bedouin warrior who brought glory to Libya and will die a martyr..."
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Gaddafi Era
In 1942, a young Arabian boy, by the name of Muammar al-Qaddafi, was born in a Bedouin tent in Sirte, Libya. At the time of his birth, the Italians had made a colony of Libya, as this was the time of World War II, when both eastern and western fronts were inflicted with intense pressure. As such, he grew to become an advocate of the Arabian nationalist movement that struck across the land as King Idris gained control of Libya with his Western influences. Throughout his adolescents he became aspired by anti-colonialism and socialism of Gamal Addel Nasser in neighboring Egypt. In 1961, al-Qaddafi enlisted into a military university in the United Kingdom and received lessons there for four months. After graduating into the military, Muammar and his band of revolutionary young officers set up a plan to overrule King Idris. This was the start of the al-Qaddafi uprising.
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On September 1st, 1969 al-Qaddafi and his officers have seized power over King Idris in a bloodless revolution, while Idris was on a trip abroad in Turkey for medical treatment. al-Qaddafi was deemed commander-in-chief, becoming the leader of Libya at the age of 27. As the leader of Libya, he shut down the British and American military bases and demanded that the foreign oil companies in Libya share a bigger portion of the revenue with the country. As he gained dictatorship over Libya, he began viewing the Western imperialistic world as an enemy to Arabian nationalism, as he vocally opposed Zionism and Israel, while at the same time removing the Jewish community from Libya. As Gaddafi became more and more powerful, his inner circle of trust worthy powers grew smaller , as did his power. He grew isolated, became the alpha wolf in command. al-Qaddafi was even given the nickname 'Mad Dog of the Middle East' by the George W. Bush administration. Not only did Muammar become dictator of Libya, but a threat to the democratic stature.
In the 1970's - 1980's, al-Qaddafi became infamous foe sponsoring international terrorism, and was responsible for the 1988 bombing on Pan Am flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. This was a retaliation of the 1986 bombing in Libya, from the US President Reagan, after found links to a bombing at a nightclub in Berlin that killed two US servicemen, and one Turkish woman. Although al-Qaddafi despised the West, he became a "friend" of the United States after agreeing to reveal the perpetrators of the terroristic acts. Muammar was power-hungry, but he wasn't stupid. He understood the power of the United States, and knew that if he had continued to provoke them, it would be a death sentence. He became the word unpredictable, which led to his survival of multiple assassination attempts, while at the same time, managing an all female security detail.
In the 1970's - 1980's, al-Qaddafi became infamous foe sponsoring international terrorism, and was responsible for the 1988 bombing on Pan Am flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. This was a retaliation of the 1986 bombing in Libya, from the US President Reagan, after found links to a bombing at a nightclub in Berlin that killed two US servicemen, and one Turkish woman. Although al-Qaddafi despised the West, he became a "friend" of the United States after agreeing to reveal the perpetrators of the terroristic acts. Muammar was power-hungry, but he wasn't stupid. He understood the power of the United States, and knew that if he had continued to provoke them, it would be a death sentence. He became the word unpredictable, which led to his survival of multiple assassination attempts, while at the same time, managing an all female security detail.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela was able to convince the Libyan leader to hand over the suspects from the Lockerbie bombing, and this moment Islamists began to realize that Qaddafi had turned their back on them. In 2001, the United Nations eased sanctions on Libya, as the tension between Libya and its 'enemies' decreased gradually. The Tunisian revolution in January of 2011, led to the downfall of their leader, setting off a chain reaction across the Arabian nations. The very next month, Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, was forced out of head, leading to the protests in Libya itself. Qaddafi used aggressive force to try to suppress the protests, and the violence quickly escalated. Police and foreign mercenaries were brought in to shoot the protesters as Muammar struggled to encourage his supporters to fight against the rebels.
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On October 20th 2011, Qaddafi was killed by the rebels, who had ultimately took over the government in Libya. Currently, Libya is struggling to maintain a stable system of leadership as conflicts rage on between the Libyan National Army, a liberal political system, ISIS, and the New General National Congress, a collections of Islamist militias. Despite the controversy, Qaddafi led the country in a much more stable manner than what it is today, and the humanity within the conflict has become obsolete.