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More World NewsIs Qaddafi Next?
Philip Shenon is an investigative reporter and bestselling author, based in Washington D.C. Almost all of his career was spent at The New York Times, where he was a reporter from 1981 until 2008. He left the paper in May 2008, a few weeks after his first book, The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, hit the bestsellers lists of both The New York Times and The Washington Post. He has reported from several warzones and was one of two reporters from The Times embedded with American ground troops during the invasion of Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War.
With Egypt in chaos, a new WikiLeaks cable threatens to stir unrest in Libya. The Daily Beast’s Philip Shenon reports on the bad behavior and lavish parties fueling Muammar Qaddafi's new PR problem. Plus, full coverage of the Egypt uprising. Plus, full coverage of the Egypt uprising.
Libya's neighbors are in turmoil. To the west is Tunisia. To the east is Egypt.
And with Libya's immediate neighbors convulsed by public protests over the brutality and kleptocracy of their ruling familes, a newly leaked cable from the U.S. Embassy in Libya suggests that strongman Muammar Qaddafi has created a decadent, money-hungry family dynasty that could find itself the target of the next Arab revolution in the streets.
The latest batch of American diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks includes a secret message to Washington last February from U.S. Ambassador Gene A. Cretz, who wrote that Qaddafi's family—notably, two of his especially wayward sons—had "provided enough dirt for a Libyan soap opera" and could endanger the country's stability.
The dirt, he said, included a series of alcohol-fueled New Year's Eve parties sponsored by one Qaddafi son in St. Barts—Beyoncé reportedly earned more than $1 million to perform at the party to welcome in 2010—and domestic-abuse charges against another Qaddafi son in London; he was accused of beating his wife in a London hotel suite, reportedly sending her to the hospital with a broken nose.
There are no reports of recent unrest in Libya to suggest Qaddafi might finish up like his counterparts in Tunisia—President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family fled into exile this month—or in Egypt, where street protests have seized in part on allegations that President Hosni Mubarak is attempting to orchestrate an undemocratic handover of power to one of his sons.
“The widening contrast between the respectable, cultured image that Saif has taken on and the spoiled, boorish image his siblings project has local audiences rallying behind Saif as the next heir to the Qaddafi throne,” Cretz wrote.
But the allegations of corrupt dynastic politics in Libya are not much different than those of Tunisia and Egypt. And diplomats and scholars suggest Libyans may be just as angry as their Arab brethren across their border about bad behavior by their first families. Qaddafi himself seems perplexed about the chaos in the region, saying last week that President Ben Ali in Tunisia was the "victim of lies" told on the Internet and that the Tunisian should have remained in power for life.
In his February 2010 cable, Cretz wrote he had been told by a well-informed source that the Qaddafi family "has been in a tailspin lately, trying to put a stop to one rumor or another in the name of defending the family's honor." The cable's title: "Qadhafi Children Scandals Spilling Over Into Politics."
The ambassador seemed to suggest that of Qaddafi's seven biological sons, only one—38-year-old Saif, an urbane, British-educated architect who has spoken publicly of the need for democracy in his homeland—offered any hope of a smooth, dynastic transition in Libya, which Qaddafi has ruled with dictatorial powers since 1968.
"The widening contrast between the respectable, cultured image that Saif has taken on and the spoiled, boorish image his siblings project has local audiences rallying behind Saif as the next heir to the Qaddafi throne," Cretz wrote. He said that while Saif was "no stranger to the playboy lifestyle," he had "wisely distanced himself from the local drama."
The leaking of the February 2010 cable is one more reason that Cretz is unlikely to return to his post in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. He was recalled to Washington weeks ago after WikiLeaks released another of his tartly written classified cables—that one dated September 2008—that described Qaddafi's erratic behavior and detailed his foreign travels with a "voluptuous blond" Ukrainian nurse.
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Philip Shenon is an investigative reporter and bestselling author, based in Washington D.C. Almost all of his career was spent at The New York Times, where he was a reporter from 1981 until 2008. He left the paper in May 2008, a few weeks after his first book, The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, hit the bestsellers lists of both The New York Times and The Washington Post. He has reported from several warzones and was one of two reporters from The Times embedded with American ground troops during the invasion of Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War.
liberalisnotadirtyword
Screw it, let's invade 'em.
Jim McDermott
And overthrow one of Comedy's greatest creations?
camper
You heard it here first.....Jimmy Smits play Qaddafi in the movie.
Tremors
I love it- thanks
Prometheus
Send your kid down to the recruiting station.
balls.balls.everywhere
Oh hey there Guy-who-doesn't-get-it!
Dr_SwampGas
I'm perfectly content to watch all these dictatorships self-destruct, even though I never would have predicted a democratic wave like this in the Muslim countries.
T1Brit
You are aware that this dictatorship has been around since 1964
Sam Steele
What makes you think this wave is democratic? This is anarchy. If people aren't breaking shop windows and looting, chances are it's because there are no shop windows to break and nothing to loot. Why steal a television if there's no electricity in your home?
SensiStar
Jordan is next. They are already in the streets.
We should be in the streets ourselves. Wall Street that is.
hippie4ever
Dead on! It's inspiring that democracy is finally breaking out & American stooges are being taken down. I hope it happens here next -- Obama, the Dems and the Repubs -- flush out all the trash.
Carlito2
Theres a big difference....We American Citizens are armed....
Steve C
Ahh, but if you've noticed, these protesters are doing this without the benefit of arms, just home-made stuff and sheer will. Kind of shows the fallacy of the whole NRA thing...
Carlito2
Right Steve, until the actual Riots start, right now is a Love fest with the Military, but when the Military turns on them and they start ransacking neighborhoods, businesses and the banks, you fight them with a rock and slingshot.....
Steve C
Now you're talking.
dalelama
Unfortunately we have to wait until 2012.
Wulfe2k
You mean 2016. Deal with it.
isabella
Wulfe2k
God help the USA. Repeating the same destructive behavior is a sign of insanity.
Jim McDermott
isabella! Sorry, Ms Mansour - you're back! We missed you. So, what's the news from Special Needs Barbie Central?
Prometheus
CIA take a lesson.
isabella
I always thought Gadaffi oops! Qaddafi, was an evil thug but if Beyonce likes him he must be ok. Right?
Delepine
This is as profound as your 1st post. Get off what ever you're smoking.
isabella
Delepine
Whereas nothing you say will ever be profound.
nothockeydoggie
CIA stands for Cash In Advance
So how much of our money has the CIA thrown down the international, (and, in association with
Fascist Bureaucracy Ink, stipends for thousands of US citizens to write profiles about associates in the work place, etc.,) our own domestic counter intelligence drain.
On the issue of foreign aid to Egypt, the billion plus dollars they get every year pays for tanks and planes manufactured by our own military industrial complex.
What is going to happen when the Egyptian people DEMAND rice, and wheat, and Internet access to Harvard?
Guaranteed the Cash In Advancers will try their best to see installed a military dude, so our military industrial complex doesn't lose that billion yearly in sales to wheat, soy, and rice.
Years ago we would give wheat to Egypt and the Egyptians would bag the wheat in the cargo holds, take it out and then load the bagged grain (for cash) immediately onto ships headed for Eastern Europe.
I am an independent write-in candidate for president. Look at the thousands of protesters. The only American interest in Egypt that makes any sense is support for human rights and democratic freedom and principals - not trucks, planes and tanks.
That would be a giant step leading to (my program for) peace in the Middle East.
michaelslevinson.com
isabella
nothockey
Don't forget to let the Muslim Brotherhood know how you feel. Most likely they'll be in charge of the new peace program,
nothockeydoggie
Not especially interested in Muslim Brotherhood. Why should I let the Muslim Brotherhood know how I feel?
Leaders come forward. They have clear heads. Perhaps leaders amongst the people of Egypt will come forward, and lead the charge.
Sad, " Most likely they'll be in charge of the new peace program," is a mixture of facetious and fascist. Facetious is shallow whilst fascists always confuse reality. Leaders lead the charge. With CIA interference, "others" could take charge.
Visit michaelslevinson.com
and on the right side of the home page, amongst the videos is a video about Middle East Peace that was stated to the New Hampshire press in New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner's office, October 15, 2007.
SillyRabbit
I've been predicting that Libya would be next for a while, but not for the the reasons suggested in this article. Check it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12295864
This is an oil-rich nation with a whopping 30% jobless rate and with 33% of the population below the poverty line...it's precisely that kind of blatant inept governance and corruption that sparks revolutions, not concerns about the Gaddafi "family honor."
enoughgaddafi
Thank you Silly Rabbit for your comments and brining in a healthy dose of reality. This isn't a question about honor but about more basic, day-to-day questions.
Gracchus
Gaddafi family honor: oxymoron.
miriamac
Forget Libya
The grievances of the Egyptian people, a government unresponsive to the people's concerns, the impoverishment of working and middle class people, the seizure of power and assets by corrupt elites, seem very familiar.
OC this couldn't happen here.
That said anyone got any plans for Labor Day?
Gerry007
It is heartening to see freedom breaking out in countries which were formerly despot ruled.
It appears that these riots or demonstrations were fueled by hunger and joblessness. There are many countries in the world with the same problems.
I fully expect to see more of the same in other countries. No country has a police force big enough to quell a demonstration like this. The police were totally outnumbered.
Thanks to things like the internet, twitter and facebook demonstrations like this one can be arranged outside of the usual means.
Any country that has a rich ruling class and much poverty had better look out. The times, they are achanging!
I hope our government is taking the hint.
JerryIzzo
No, Qaddafi won't be next. It's just dependable U.S. allies that respond to calls for restraint - while mobs of arsonists heed no such admonitions.
When you read the next breathless headline of the "Police Open Fire on Protesters' sort, ask yourselves, really, would OUR government respond differently if a violent mob stormed federal buildings to ransack and torch them?
Steve C
I have thought for some time that maybe it is time for the US to stop sleeping with Israel and start dating Palestine. That would certainly throw a cog in the works as far as the Evil America goes at least. At some point you have to wonder who is really calling the shots, especially after reading the recent Wikileaks information regarding Israeli negotiations with Palestinians. Only one side was willing to make any concessions, and it was, predictably, not the Israelis.
Carlito2
Concessions, they live in a tiny Island surrounded by people who want to wipe them off the face of the Earth, and your suggestion is to sleep with the Mullas and Ben Laden and not support your real allies ?? what will you do when the Jewish population of the United States turns on us, deport them ?? or can you think that far down the road with you immature mind ???
Pixie11
So where do the loyalties lie, with Israel or America? Regardless of Religion, if you live in America you are usually an American (minus all the illegals).
SSGray
While "OUR" Government is simply waiting for orders from AIPAC, American People with NO voice with their Lawmakers watch Fed Up Egyptians on our heavily censored Ziono-Con "News" stations as THEY forcefully reject a corrupt, privileged and Out-Of-Touch Government.
We express our views under the surveillance of our unelected Patriot Act Enforcement Agency and related, Alphabet Soup minions of our Police State.
We do so while awaiting the next "New Law, Mandate, "Sin Tax" etc" in which we have no voice; remember to Buckle your Seat belt, meekly submit to the next blatantly unconstitutional Checkpoint to make sure your Stickers, Decals, Licenses and Permits comply with OTHER, insidious "New Regulations, Limits Laws etc"
Don't worry, If All Hell Breaks Loose, our privileged, pampered and distant Multi-Millionaire Politicians and Glut of Israeli, "Dual" Citizen Politicians and "Dual" Citizen staff members and their "Dual" Citizen families will be safe and snug in he most Luxurious, Well Stocked Bunkers ANYWHERE.
---------------------
I wish the courageous Egyptian people the best of luck in securing a responsive, Domestically Run Democracy
Carlito2
You mean like IRAN has ?? Hummm Good Luck on that thought...
Boyaca
Well writen. I agree with you one hundred percent.
Mickeyfilm
I spent 5 years doing a documentary (INJECTION) exploring the HIV outbreak at a small children's hospital in Benghazi, Libya. 5 Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were sentenced to death 2 times for the outbreak and eventually released after BP broked a financial deal and the release of the Pan Am bomber. The outbreak was caused by lack of next to no medical supplies at the hospital as well as most other hospitals across Libya. During the trade embargo against Libya, Qaddafi maintained his dictator life style by selling everything, including donated medical supplies. The nurses had to reuse syringes often as many as 50 times. If they complained, their lives were threatened. My film is called INJECTION and is 82 minutes and can be viewed for free on Google Video.
Kingyahoo
I remember Qaddafi's coup, deposing King Idris. He has a good grip on the country and it wouldn't be easy to depose him. Yet, his instinct for survival is strong. As for Egypt, it is a different ball game. I have travelled extensively in that country on 3 visits, talked to academics, and students at American University in Cairo, even at Al-Azhar.
They had hope of living in a thriving democracy, but their own survival instinct prevented them from voicing their dissatisfaction.
Dr. M. H. Rajabally
Mickeyfilm
A similar outbreak occured in Egypt regarding thousands of people being vacinated for the treatment of Schistosomiasis. The problem was that non-reusable syringes were being reused many times. And yes, the government was to blame. Today, as a result of this, over a 67 million Egyptians are carrying hepatitis C in their blood. Regarding Libya, Qaddafi was insistant in blaming the nurses and at first called it a CIA plot, to devert blame from himself. If the Libyan population had gathered that he was responsible, then there would have been a chance of an uprising several years ago. I'm releasing a new version of my film this summer, which provides evidence that the outbreak of HIV was much larger than just the Benghazi Children's Hospital and likely is over a 100,000 Libyans. I also have a witness that states that he has built large centers in isolated areas for the vicitims and to help keep knowledge of this from the Libyan population. Please watch my film INJECTION on Google Video. It did a limited run in art houses in the US and then I put it on Google for free in order to help free the nurses.
Kingyahoo
Agree Mickeyfilm. I remember the incident with the Bulgarian nurses well. I remember what a countryman of kine told me when he served as a medical officer in Libya.
vh1422
This is an absurd piece of reporting. Mubarek totally controls the Army. He rose from their ranks and every last leader owes their job to him. It was Mubarek who ordered the Army out when the hated police were inflaming the protestors. He knows full well that the people revere the Army and their role is to do one thing and one thing only: diffuse the anger. It is working. What Obama is doing is not. The power Israel has over his foreign policy decisions in the Middle East - whether it be Egypt or Iran - is obvious and both are horrible failures.
Kingyahoo
vh1422, Israel and the Jewish-American lobbies have castrated every president. The reasons are obvious and no one has to be an Albert Einstein .to figure this out. America is going bankrupt, yet 3.1billion $ for Israel and 1.1 for Egypt to protect Israel.
CNN Wolf Blizer asks every Senator and Rep about Curtailing foreign aid and he wonders if this include Israel. Holy cow!
Democrat N.Y Rep. Antony Weiner told Wolf. Helping Israel with $3 billion to fight terrorism is important. What about Israel,the occupier-terrorist?
How could any nation take America seriously? It vetoes every United Nations'resolution against Israel, yet wants sanction on Iran and North Korea.
It is a joke and really Mickey Mouse.
Carlito2
Why are you dragging Israel into this, I thought this was between the Egyptian People and their Government ..You sound anti-Israel to me...
Kingyahoo
Carlito2, your response is typical of people who cannot practise deductive-reasoning. You did not go far enough when you say Ï sound anti-Israel to me...."
You should have called me Anti-Semite!
Sam Steele
Libya is the North Korea of the Arab World, a hermit kingdom. While Libya call itself a republic, Qaddafi probably plans to pass the sceptre to one of his sons, who hopefully (if you're Qaddafi) will pass it on to one of his sons. In the meantime, Qaddafi will try to do what he has always done. If he can't export his brand of revolution, he will at least try to keep his country isolated from the rest of the world.
Dictatorships survive by isolation. Once they hit the world stage, they are doomed.
Thank you.
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