April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

Idris in 1969. In the 1970s, influenced by the previous wave of the Arab
revolution, and under the impact of the 1974 worldwide recession, the
regime moved further to the left, expelling imperialism and making deep
inroads against capitalist property. Basing itself on the oil wealth of the
country and the small size of its population, it was able to implement
many progressive reforms and substantially increase the standard of the
living of the overwhelming majority of Libyans.
However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the regime started making
openings to imperialism. Already in 1993 laws guaranteeing foreign
investment were passed. And it was after the fall of Saddam Hussein in
2003 that Gaddafi decided to settle affairs with imperialism signing a
number of deals for decommissioning its weapons of mass destruction,
paying reparations to the victims of terrorist bombings, etc. The regime
became a loyal partner of imperialism in the so-called “war on terror” and
collaborated with the European Union in order to strengthen “fortress
Europe” against the entry of sub-Saharan illegal immigrants.
This was accompanied by requesting entry into the WTO, creating Special
Trade Zones, privatizing large parts of the economy, allowing back oil
multinationals into the oil industry and eliminating subsidies on basic
foodstuffs. The aim was to privatise 100% of the economy, according to
Libyan officials. It was precisely the implementation of these policies that
led to increased unemployment (between 20 and 30%), poverty and
inequality, that played a key role in the current uprising.
In his latest article about the situation, Fidel Castro stresses the fact that,
“it is an undeniable fact that the relations between the US and its NATO
allies with Libya in the recent years were excellent,” adding that Libya
“opened up strategic sectors as the production and distribution of oil to
foreign investment” and that, “many state-owned companies were
privatized. The IMF played its role in implementing these policies.” And as
a result “Aznar was full of praise for Gaddafi, and he was followed by
Blair, Berlusconi, Sarkozy, Zapatero, and even my friend the King of Spain,
they all queued up under the mocking smile of the Libyan leader. They
were pleased.” (Cuba Debate)
In his recent interviews with the BBC and ABC news Gaddafi himself
explained how he felt “betrayed” by the Western powers. After having
supported them and followed their policies for a number of years now they
are abandoning him. Even the rhetoric he uses demonstrates that. When
accusing the rebels of being manipulated by Al Qaeda, he is using the same
scare-mongering tactics that Ben Ali and above all Mubarak used earlier
on, and in reality is asking the West for support against the common
enemy. The real character of Gaddafi’s regime can be deduced from his
position regarding the revolutionary uprising in Tunisia, where he came out
firmly on the side of Western ally Ben Ali and criticized the Tunisian
workers and youth for having overthrown him!
As for the truth of what is really happening in Libya, one does not need to
listen to the Western media. Saif al Islam, Gaddafi’s son and right hand
man, himself admitted to the use of the army against unarmed
demonstrators in his speech on February 20:
“Of course there were many deaths, which angered many people in
Benghazi, but why were there people killed? The army was under stress, it
is not used to crowd control so they shot, but I called them. The army said
that some protesters were drunk, others were on hallucinogens or drugs.
The army has to defend its weapons. And the people were angry. So there
were deaths, but in the end Libyans were killed.”