Gaddafi was the man listening to students in Paris who criticized him in 1973. He was the man who freed many inmates from Tripoli’s prison and destroyed the prisons with bulldozers. In his Green Book, he rejected capitalism and socialism as two useless ideologies and claimed he was presenting a new ideology for dealing with the problems of the people.
However, his life was full of ups and downs, and he eventually refused to listen to any of his critics. The main reason for this change was the huge wealth he gained through oil. In fact, oil changed the Libyan ideologue into a narcissist.
In her famous interview with Gaddafi, the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci asked him, “Do you believe in God?” Gaddafi replied, “Silly question, everyone believes in God.” Fallaci then said, “I thought you consider yourself to be God on Earth.”
The death of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi will bring about huge changes in Libya and the entire Arab world. The killing of Gaddafi by one of the freedom fighters discouraged many of his loyalists, who had fiercely defended him until his capture, and it is unlikely that they will continue the war.
The death of Gaddafi will also end the unity of the groups that cooperated in the war against the freedom fighters. In a tribal society like Libya, every tribe is jockeying for a better position in the future government. Thus, tribal disputes continue to be one of the major challenges facing the new government, and the way it cooperates with various tribes and groups will have a great influence on the sociopolitical future of the country.
Many exiled Libyans are expected to return home, which will have an influence on the demographic structure of the country. Most of the intellectuals and citizens who were living in exile during the time of the dictatorship are totally unfamiliar with the current situation on the ground. They will bring many Western ideas and customs into Libyan society.
Due to all these challenges, it is unclear what kind of new Libya will emerge as it attempts to recover from almost 42 years of brutal dictatorship.
Gaddafi’s death will also have many repercussions in the region, especially for Syria, Yemen, and Algeria. The Algerian government has still not recognized the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) as the legitimate body ruling the country after Gaddafi. The Algerian government also welcomed some members of Gaddafi’s family who escaped from the country during the war.
Yemen and Syria are also struggling to emerge from crises in the aftermath of popular protests. The situation of Yemeni dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh is very similar to Gaddafi’s situation. The Yemeni people are struggling to remove him from power after 33 years of autocratic rule.
NATO’s mission to help the freedom fighters in their battle against Gaddafi is actually supposed to be over. However, there are many rumors that Western countries will extend their military presence and that NATO will establish open-ended missions in the country.
The fate of Gaddafi made many Arab dictators think about their grim fates. The Arab Spring is the time of the liberation of the Arab masses, because they see themselves in the position where the Libyans were at the beginning of their revolution. They are hoping for a better future, a future in which there is no barbaric narcissist like Gaddafi to repress the people at his whim.
Hojatollah Joudaki is a researcher and expert on the Middle East who formerly served as Iran’s cultural attaché in Egypt.
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MNA
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