Background: Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyaral-Gadhafi, commonly known as Muammar Gadhafi, died on Oct 20th, 2011 after being arrested in Sirte. He was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the unofficial "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. He got the power in a revolution in 1969and served as the country's head of state until 1977, when he stepped down from his official executive role as Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council of Libya, and claimed subsequently to be merely a symbolic figurehead.In February 2011, following revolutions in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia, protests against Gadhafi's rule began. These escalated into an uprising that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gadhafi establishing a government based in Benghazi named the National Transitional Council (NTC). This led to the 2011 Libyan civil war, which included a military intervention by a NATO-led coalition to enforce a UN Security Council
Resolution 1973 calling for a no-fly zone and protection of civilians in Libya. Gadhafi finally failed in the war. Gadhafi was captured alive in Sirte by members of the Libyan National Liberation Armyon 20 October 2011. Gadhafi was then killed in controversial circumstances by NLA fighters.
My Analysis:
Gadhafi was doomed to fail from the start. Gadhafi was a hero of Libya. He overthrew the government, abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the Libyan Arab Republic. It was a big progress for Libya. But after revolution, Gadhafi became a dictator. The power of Libya was under Gadhafi and his family's control. I read some news from CNN about Gadhafi. Here is an example.
Gadhafi's legacy in Africa:
'Madman or god?' By Faith Karimi, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/05/world/africa/africa-gadhafi-legacy/index.html
This is an interesting essay. It made an analysis about Gadhafi's legacy. Gadhafi is different in different people's opinions. Fellow African leaders bestowed upon him endearing nicknames: "brother leader," "king of kings of Africa." There are many reasons to explain why Gadhafi is so "popular" in Aferica. "He was known for handing out large sums of cash. Wherever he thinks he can buy friendship, he hands out large sums of cash," said Richard Dowden, executive director of the Royal African Society. This is a very important way for Gadhafi to get support. Nobody hates money. "His investments bought him loyalty. It's a very African thing to do: 'He helped us, so let's help him'". Such investments sealed Gadhafi's clout in sub-Saharan Africa. It came as no surprise that some leaders were initially reluctant to endorse the new Libyan interim government. Another reason many in the continent backed Gadhafi was self-preservation, analysts say. "Some African leaders think that if they don't support Gadhafi now, next time round it could be them and who will take them in?" Johnson said. "This move guarantees some protection should there be an uprising in their countries ... they can count on each other." These two reasons are why Gadhafi get so much support from African leaders.
Gadhafi was doomed to fail from the start. Gadhafi was a hero of Libya. He overthrew the government, abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the Libyan Arab Republic. It was a big progress for Libya. But after revolution, Gadhafi became a dictator. The power of Libya was under Gadhafi and his family's control. I read some news from CNN about Gadhafi. Here is an example.
Gadhafi's legacy in Africa:
'Madman or god?' By Faith Karimi, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/05/world/africa/africa-gadhafi-legacy/index.html
This is an interesting essay. It made an analysis about Gadhafi's legacy. Gadhafi is different in different people's opinions. Fellow African leaders bestowed upon him endearing nicknames: "brother leader," "king of kings of Africa." There are many reasons to explain why Gadhafi is so "popular" in Aferica. "He was known for handing out large sums of cash. Wherever he thinks he can buy friendship, he hands out large sums of cash," said Richard Dowden, executive director of the Royal African Society. This is a very important way for Gadhafi to get support. Nobody hates money. "His investments bought him loyalty. It's a very African thing to do: 'He helped us, so let's help him'". Such investments sealed Gadhafi's clout in sub-Saharan Africa. It came as no surprise that some leaders were initially reluctant to endorse the new Libyan interim government. Another reason many in the continent backed Gadhafi was self-preservation, analysts say. "Some African leaders think that if they don't support Gadhafi now, next time round it could be them and who will take them in?" Johnson said. "This move guarantees some protection should there be an uprising in their countries ... they can count on each other." These two reasons are why Gadhafi get so much support from African leaders.
This essay is based on CNN's viewpoint. It is the same with many western media. In U.S and Europe, Gadhafi is always decribed a terrible dictator. People in Lybia struggle for freedom and human rights. Gadhafi squandered the wealth to enjoy his venal life. He also spend a lot of money on "Dollar Diplomacy". He is the biggest hinder for Lybia's democratic process. Most of Libyans want to get rid of Gadhafi's domination.
But I find a completely different sound from another media.
This page contains two videos. It talks about something we can not see on western medias. Did Gadhafi do so many bad things? Did all Libyans want to overthrow Gadhafi's domination? It's a complex question. These two videos provide a reverse thinking.
This article supports Gadhafi. In this article, Gadhafi is described as a hero of Libya. He failed because of the joint interference by domestic and foreign forces. In Gadhafi's reign, Libya made great progress in economy. Libyans enjoy excellent social welfare. Gadhafi gave his people a happy and peaceful life. Many african countries have close friendship with Libya. He is an excellent leader.
These two articles are from a communist website. They hold versus ideas with CNN. They think Gadhafi is martyr of Libya. NATO's interfrence is the main cause of Gadhafi's failure.
Why are the two opinions so different? There is a saying in China, which is "Your butt decides your opinion". That means, your position determines your view. If you are from a western country such as U.S. , you may think Gadhafi's downfall is a good news. But If you are from a country which is always determined as "undemocratic", you may think it's a really bad news. Difference in ideology decides this kind of conflict. So it's not hard to imagine the different reaction from Obama and Chavez when they hear the same news.
The leading class decides what to report and hide. So the media is always not justice. They just work for the people who feed them or rule them. As a result, we can see two completely contrary reports on the same event. Gadhafi's death is only an example of that. Is North Korea a hell? Do Chinese people hate Communist Party and look for revolution? What you see on the news may lie to you. "Wall Street Occupation" is described as the downfall of U.S. government in some media. Don't you think it's ridiculous?
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