On June 7, Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of the Libyan revolution, one of the most extraordinary and interesting politicians in the Arab world and the African continent, would have turned 75 years old. Numerous researchers are still arguing about the role of Gaddafi in the history of Libya, the Arab East, Africa and the world as a whole. His ratings political activity range from absolute rejection and accusations of all mortal sins to complete delight. Who is he, Gaddafi? Terrorist or champion of peace and stability? The man who turned Libya into one of the most developed and richest countries in the East, or a greedy corrupt official? A supporter of the most radical version of people's democracy - jamahiriya, almost an anarchist, or a brutal one-man dictator?
Before his brutal murder, Muammar Gaddafi was one of the world's longest-living political leaders. He led Libya on September 1, 1969, in a military coup called the Libyan Revolution. The young officers who organized the coup adhered to nationalist and socialist beliefs and admired neighboring Egypt, where Gamal Abdel Nasser had long been in power. In those years, it was difficult to surprise the world about another military coup in another African country. But the military that came to power in Libya was able to truly change the country. For the first time, one of the previously most backward states in Africa began to play an independent role in world politics. Libya before and during Gaddafi was about the same as China before and during communist rule. Even stronger.
By 1969, Libya was a constitutional monarchy. The young state officially declared independence in 1951. The royal throne was occupied by the Emir of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania Idris, more precisely, Muhammad Idris al-Sanusi (1890-1983). The grandson of the founder of the Muslim order of the Senussites, Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi, Idris became emir of Cyrenaica in 1916, and in 1921 he was proclaimed emir of all Libya.
He led the resistance to the Italian colonialists for a long time and lived in Egypt since 1923. When Italy was defeated in World War II, Libya was placed under the control of England and France. In 1947, Idris returned to the country, who was proclaimed emir of all Libya, and in 1950 - king. By this time, Idris already had strong ties with Great Britain, with which he collaborated back in the 1930s - 1940s, during the fight against the Italians. Although the independence of the Kingdom of Libya was declared in 1951, in reality this poor desert state remained a semi-colony of Western powers. Thus, Great Britain, according to the agreement of July 20, 1953, received the right to unlimited use for military purposes of all ports and airfields of the kingdom. The United States of America retained its largest and most powerful military air base, Wheelus Field, in the vicinity of Tripoli, which the American Air Force took possession of back in 1945. King Idris in exchange for cash payments agreed with the presence of American aviation in his “sovereign” kingdom. France also retained its troops and military bases in the territory of Southern Libya - the historical province of Fezzan.
Simultaneously with the use of Libyan territory for military purposes, the United States of America also paid attention to the country's main wealth - oil. American companies began developing oil fields. Funds from oil production flowed to the United States, a smaller part went to King Idris. Naturally, ordinary Libyans had no benefit from oil production. The country continued to live in poverty, with the lowest level of development of social infrastructure. At the same time, Idris did not seek to develop the armed forces - he was very afraid of a military coup. After all, before my eyes was clear example- overthrow of the monarchy in neighboring Egypt.
Time has shown that Idris was right. It was the military, young officers with ranks from lieutenant to major who destroyed the Libyan monarchy, and it was the Egyptian experience that inspired them. The military coup was led by the charismatic Bedouin Muammar al-Gaddafi, who came from Berber origin, but had long ago accepted Arabic nomadic tribe of al-Qaddafa. In 1969 he was only 27 years old. The young officer served with the rank of captain in the engineering forces of the Kingdom of Libya. The date of the coup was chosen very well. King Idris was undergoing treatment in Turkey at that time and could not interfere with the actions of the military. The entrances to American military bases were blocked so that American troops could not quickly interfere with the actions of the revolutionaries.
In their address to the people, the coup organizers emphasized that they had overthrown the “reactionary and corrupt” regime of King Idris for the sake of spiritual revival, Arabism and Islam. With the help of religious slogans, officers sought to consolidate the broad masses of the people, poorly educated but deeply religious. Power in the country passed to the Revolutionary Command Council. On September 8, 1969, 27-year-old Captain Muammar Gaddafi was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed supreme commander of the country's armed forces. By the way, until 1979, Gaddafi remained the only colonel in the Libyan army.
During his 42 years in power, Gaddafi has come a long way in both ideological and political evolution. From a young, fiery revolutionary, an idealist who was in constant search of a better path of development for the Libyan people, Gaddafi turned into a seasoned “fox” of African politics. He skillfully maneuvered between the socialist and capitalist camps, managed to support revolutionary movements around the world - from Latin America to Oceania. For several decades, Gaddafi became one of the key sponsors of the radical left and national liberation movements of the world - Irish and Basque nationalists, Philippine separatists of the Muslim Moro people, and a number of national movements in Tropical Africa. Gaddafi managed to expand his political influence over many African countries and transform Libya into a regional power actively involved in African politics. With the support of Gaddafi, heads of state in Western, Central and East Africa. He supported the amazing revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, and "Iron Jerry" Rollings in Ghana.
Oil revenues, unlike the royal regime, during the reign of Muammar Gaddafi were aimed primarily at the development of the country - all areas of its life, from the armed forces and intelligence services to social infrastructure. Of course, Muammar Gaddafi was not an ascetic, especially in the second half of his life. He kept a lot for himself, and his children, relatives, and representatives of the al-Qaddafa tribe did not suffer. But at the same time, unlike the period of the monarchy, under Gaddafi, Libya achieved enormous success precisely in the socio-economic and socio-cultural spheres of society. In the Libyan Jamahiriya there were no rents, gasoline prices remained minimal, citizens of the country were provided with interest-free loans for the purchase of apartments and cars, and one-time subsidies for newlyweds. Large families received the right to shop in special stores with very cheap food prices. Education and healthcare in Libya were also free, and promising students were paid to study abroad.
Over time, Libya turned into the African equivalent of the Gulf states, only with a completely different ideology. Guest workers from all over the African continent flocked to Libya, primarily from the poor countries of the Sahel - Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso. Gaddafi managed to “tame” the freedom-loving desert warriors - the Tuaregs, who served in the Libyan armed forces. Later, when the Jamahiriya fell, many Tuaregs from the Libyan army returned to their homeland - to Mali, where they launched an armed struggle for the liberation of Azawad - the “country of the Tuaregs”. At one time, Gaddafi repeatedly told European politicians that Libya was acting as a deterrent to migration from Africa to Europe. He turned out to be right. After the destruction of the Jamahiriya and the death of Gaddafi, Europe began to choke on the flow of African migrants, thousands of whom cross the Mediterranean Sea every day, leaving from the Libyan coast. Among them are immigrants from the Sahel countries, as well as Libyans themselves, who have never previously gone to Europe as guest workers - they could earn money in their homeland.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States of America began the gradual elimination of secular nationalist regimes in the Arab East. The start was given by the famous Operation Desert Storm, after which Iraqi President Saddam Hussein took the place of one of the main “horror stories” of American propaganda for many years. After all, the US and its allies launched armed aggression against Iraq in 2003. The regime of Saddam Hussein was overthrown, and the once powerful Iraqi leader himself was caught, tried and demonstratively executed by hanging. The execution of Saddam and the destruction of Iraq as a stable and strong state was a wake-up call for other Arab leaders.
Gaddafi understood the hint perfectly and tried to normalize relations with the West. He allowed foreign experts into the country, and even agreed to pay compensation to victims of terrorist attacks organized at the instigation of the Libyan intelligence services. Gradually, Gaddafi visited Europe more and more often, meeting with English, French, and Italian leaders. But the “desert fox” miscalculated - he could never become “their” or even a desired junior partner for the United States and the European Union. Flattery towards Barack Obama, the “son of Africa,” did not help either. In September 2009, Gaddafi gave a two-hour speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he emphasized that he would like to see Barack Obama as US President “forever”, and said that Obama was not at all like previous American presidents. After just two years, US President Barack Obama welcomed the brutal murder of Muammar Gaddafi, “not at all like the previous ones.”
On the morning of October 20, 2011, while trying to escape from Sirte, besieged by rebels and NATO special forces, Muammar Gaddafi was captured. He was surrounded by a crowd of brutal rebels. The last minutes of the Libyan leader’s life are well known; there is no point in returning to a detailed description of this terrible murder. Along with Gaddafi, his son, 36-year-old Mutazim-Billa Gaddafi (1974-2011), who served as security adviser to the leader of the Libyan revolution, and the Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief were killed armed forces Brigadier General Abu Bakr Yunis Jaber (1940-2011) - Gaddafi’s closest ally during the 1969 military coup, who remained with the colonel until the end.
What does Libya represent today? The field of “war of all against all”, where numerous armed groups of a political, religious and simply criminal nature oppose each other. The official authorities of Libya do not control the situation in most of the country. For example, quite large areas remain under the control of IS militants (prohibited in Russia). Armed conflicts between tribes and clans periodically break out, and there is always a formal reason to start shooting. Thus, in November 2016, two tribal groups clashed in Sabha over a monkey. A monkey belonging to a trader from the Gaddadfa tribe tore the head scarf from a schoolgirl from the Awlad Suleiman tribe. In response, the girl's relatives killed the monkey and three members of the Gaddadfa tribe. A bloody clash began with the use of firearms, and later mortars and even armored vehicles were used. 16 people were killed and another 50 people were injured. Of course, the unfortunate monkey was only a pretext for the start of the next phase of “showdowns” between the two largest clans of the Sabha, but the story itself is very indicative of what happened to the Libyan state after the assassination of Muammar Gaddafi.
Six years have passed since Gaddafi's death, but peace has not come to Libyan soil. “Stability and democracy,” which American and European “well-wishers” verbally wanted to establish in Libya, in reality turned into a bloody civil war, the end of which is not in sight. The once prosperous country has turned into the “Afghanistan” of North Africa, and now it is no longer migrant workers from all over the continent who travel to Libya, but from Libya hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing to Europe, escaping the horrors of war. The only people this devastated country attracts are mercenaries and terrorists of all stripes, for whom war is their main income. And who will say that the authoritarian style of government and even corruption are a more terrible evil than what is happening today on Libyan soil?
The overthrow of Gaddafi and the destabilization of the situation in Libya became just one link in the overall strategy of chaos imposed by the United States and its satellites in the Near and Middle East and on the African continent. The famous Arab Spring of 2011 overthrew most of the secular nationalist regimes - Libyan, Tunisian, Egyptian, Yemeni. A bloody war was unleashed Civil War in Syria, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, became the next “sacred enemy” of the United States and allies in the Middle East.
You can often come across tempting statistics about how well they lived under an imaginary tyrant with fabulous figures and “just the facts.” But was there Libya under Gaddafi really so prosperous?
Mammoir Gaddafi officially did not have any post in Libya, refusing the title of both prime minister and head of the military forces. Unofficially, he was named as “ Fraternal leader and leader of the First of September Great Revolution Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or Fraternal leader and leader of the revolution."
GDP in Libya under Gaddafi per capita is $14,192.
The real GDP per capita in Libya is $10,335. Some conclusions could be drawn about the deteriorating situation in the Libyan economy. However, the joy of the first number is relative: for comparison, the GDP of Russia is 23,163 for 2015, which is in 55th place according to World Bank statistics.
Unemployment benefits $730.
And it will be needed, because the unemployment rate in Libya under Gaddafi, although it decreased significantly, was still huge ():
Nurse's salary is $1,000. And an even funnier fact is that the minimum wage in Libya is $1,785 per year.
These numbers are amazing (even despite the slight contradiction). But these statistics do not take into account the collection of taxes and other deductions, so they are really far from the truth. For example, according to the same system in Russia, the minimum wage is $2,812. The Libyan level roughly corresponds to the level wages in Mexico, which does not have such oil reserves.
Here are some more facts that should also doubt you, since they do not have a single source (at least in the leading articles on the World Wide Web), most often they also do not take taxes into account or have extremely vague formulations (“large taxes” and “symbolic prices "). Although some of these facts do suggest that Libya had its strengths, which we will not deny:
Where did the myth of a strong Libya under Gaddafi come from? Not at all out of nowhere. Indeed, in the 1970-1980s. in the wake of the international economic situation around Libya's main export commodity - oil, and rising prices for it (especially in the 1970s), the Libyan leadership made very good money and converted the funds received, among other things, into social benefits for the population. Infrastructure appeared (roads, schools, hospitals, etc.), which did not exist before, and a system of indirect and direct support for the population by the state was formed. As a result, we can actually observe a threefold increase in population (from 1951 to 2011), an increase in the number and growth of cities (improving living conditions), a noticeable change in literacy and education levels, as well as an influx of migrants (educated and skilled workers from Arab, African and European countries. However, a powerful hand and order had nothing to do with it, as the figures above proved to us. They are associated with the fall in oil prices in the 1980s.
The ideas of Muammar Gaddafi deserve special attention. Muammar Gaddafi set out in his “Green Book” ideas close to socialism and even anarchism. General idea Jamahiriya in the overthrow of traditional institutions of power. People's committees and people's congresses should be formed everywhere. In Gaddafi’s ideas, the state was divided into many communes (communities), which are self-governing mini-states within the state, possessing full power in their district, including distribution budget funds. The administration of the commune is carried out by the Primary People's Congress. The People's Congress included all members of the commune (that is, residents of the commune). Each person had the right to express his proposal at a meeting of the people's committee. Everyone participated in decision making and the exercise of power. The state was a federation of communes.
Despite such a utopia, bureaucracy and tyranny actually existed in Libya. There was no workers' self-government - the basis of anarchism - in Libya under Gaddafi. It is no coincidence that workers in Libya's main industry, oil, participated in the uprising against Gaddafi, and today they are fighting against the managers of oil companies appointed by Gaddafi. the main issues of financial, industrial, and military management in the country were decided by the bureaucracy and the dictator personally. It was not the people's assemblies that controlled the Libyan banks, industry, army, security service and foreign policy.
There is not a single reliable source that reports how local (territorial and production) meetings of Libyan workers discuss and resolve issues of distribution of the country's budget, management of industry, army, and foreign policy. Let those who claim that Libya was a country with an anti-authoritarian socialist system give us at least one piece of evidence that meetings of the residents of Misrata, Benghazi, Tobruk, Zawiya, Tripoli or any other Libyan city discussed and decided all these issues. Not a single report about Libya, not a single analytical article about it, not a single interview with its residents contains such information. On the contrary, analytical articles about Libya written before the uprising point to the fact that in Libya under Gaddafi there was a command-administrative system of economic management that was reminiscent of the USSR and a bureaucratic dictatorship.
Five years ago, Muammar Gaddafi's body was put on public display in an industrial vegetable refrigerator in mall in Misrata, then he was secretly buried in the Libyan desert. Thus ended Colonel Gaddafi's 42-year reign and the revolution he ushered in after overthrowing the monarchy in 1969. Americans like to say that the dictatorship has been destroyed in Libya. Yes, indeed the dictatorship was destroyed, the dictator was brutally killed along with his loved ones, the oppressed Libyan people “gained” freedom. But how do the Libyan people live now and how did they live under Gaddafi’s “dictatorship”?
© Photos from Reuters and Associated Press used in this post
For five years, Libya continues to be one of the hottest spots on the world map. Although, in 2010, Libya's GDP growth was 2.5%. The country at that time had a high standard of living: long life expectancy (74 years), 53rd place in the Human Development Index and high literacy rate (88.9%).
For each family member, the state paid $1,000 in subsidies per year, and unemployment benefits amounted to $730.
Gasoline was cheaper than water: 1 liter of gasoline - $0.14, however, there was a time when gasoline was generally free - this is how Gaddafi distributed oil revenues.
But in 2011, popular unrest began in Libya, which later turned into a civil war. The first photo shows the capital of Libya before the civil war, but now the country is completely destroyed...
In March 2011, a month after the start of the Libyan civil war, France and Britain intervened in the conflict between Gaddafi supporters and rebels. On their initiative, NATO forces supported the rebels.
As a result of the civil war in Libya, the country suffered great damage. The death toll at the end of August 2011 reached 50 thousand people
The result of the civil war was the virtual collapse of Libya as single state. Real power in the country belongs to many militias created according to territorial and tribal principles.
Libya is currently a conglomerate of several quasi-states. There are even regions within the country that are completely controlled by ISIS terrorists.
Each of the regions of Libya has its own specifics; the standard of living, safety on the streets, and infrastructure development in them are very different.
Several years after the outbreak of the civil war in the country, no political reforms aimed at freedom and equality.
All this became possible only thanks to the support of NATO. Direct destruction from NATO bombing is estimated at $14 billion, which is 7 times the damage to the country from German bombing during World War II in comparable prices
However, the civil war continues to this day. Now there is a struggle between Islamic forces (including ISIS) on the one hand, and government troops with another.
In September 2009, Muammar Gaddafi arrived in the United States for the 64th session of the UN General Assembly, which became his last.
The leader of the Libyan revolution announced that US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair personally participated in the execution of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and demanded an investigation into the murders of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
At the end of his speech, Gaddafi left the podium with the words “You gave birth to Hitler, not us. You persecuted the Jews. And you carried out the Holocaust!
These words were not forgiven him...
Africanist Kirill Babaev - about Russia's military presence on the border with the former Jamahiriya of Gaddafi, the balance of power in the country and the peculiarities of Arab diplomacy
IN last days There are more and more reports in the press about the presence of Russian troops on the border with Libya, torn apart by civil war. Moreover, one of the key figures on whom Moscow is banking, according to some information, is Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Who is hiding behind this controversial persona? What is happening in the country after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi? What is the likelihood of the presence of Russian specialists in the region? Expert on African countries, Doctor of Philology Kirill Babaev told Realnoe Vremya's correspondent about this.
- Kirill Vladimirovich, first of all, tell us what is happening in Libya now?
The civil war continues in Libya. It has been most active since 2014. So far it has not been possible to complete it, despite the fact that the so-called Skhirat Agreement was signed in December 2015. It would seem that a way had been found to form a legitimate government for all Libyans, but this did not happen. As we see, a number of groups are fighting for power. There are now two groups of forces rising that are dividing the country between themselves: the Government of National Unity, which is based in Tripoli, supported by Western countries and looks legitimate in the eyes of the United Nations; and the Parliament, sitting in the city of Tabruk in the east of the country, which supports the armed forces led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar and also controls a fairly large area of the country, today more than half. Between these two forces act a large number of small and medium-sized groups, many of them tribal, many created on a national basis, by various Islamist organizations existing in the country, including the Islamic State (ISIS, an organization banned in the Russian Federation, - approx. ed.). Since the country’s territory is quite large and 90% is occupied by deserts, it is not possible to say that any of the formations can control a large or at least stable territory.
- Do I understand correctly that the struggle is for oil fields and oases?
There is a struggle for power in the country. Since 2011, the country has been in limbo, virtually in ruins. A legitimate government that would control the entire territory of the country no longer exists. And since the country has a huge amount of weapons, including those imported by Western countries during the war between Gaddafi and the rebels in 2011-2012, this naturally serves as fertile ground for the creation and activity of a huge number of armed groups. Naturally, they are fighting not only for power, but also for economic preferences. Libya is still one of the largest oil countries in the region, moreover, it has extremely high-quality oil. Therefore, these billions of dollars haunt none of those who are fighting there today. Of course, this is reflected both in politics within the country and in geopolitical events around Libya.
“Libya is still one of the largest oil countries in the region, moreover, it has extremely high-quality oil. Therefore, these billions of dollars haunt none of those who are fighting there today.” Photo novostienergetiki.ru
- Why did the Libyans overthrow Gaddafi?
This is part of the process that took place in the Middle East called the Arab Spring, the desire for democratization, the desire to abandon the dictatorial rule that characterized the Middle East. As you know, the processes began in Tunisia and began to develop in waves throughout the Middle East and throughout North Africa. What we observed first in Egypt, then in Libya, Syria, Yemen are all parts of one large process of social and political restructuring in the countries of the Middle East.
- Can you tell us more about the current forces in the country?
It should be noted that Libya historically does not represent a single state. The state of Libya itself has recently existed and is an artificial union of three regions: Cyrenaica - what represents the east of the country with its capital in Benghazi; west led by Tripoli - Tripolitania; the south, inhabited by various nationalities (Tuaregs, Tubu and others), is Fezzan. Today we see division precisely according to this principle. The historical part of Cyrenaica is controlled by Marshal Haftar. Tripolitania is controlled by the Government of National Unity. Fezzan is practically not controlled by anyone and is a kind of conglomerate of tribes, and it is not a continuous territory, but mostly oases in the desert, and each oasis is assigned a controlling force.
- Among all the parties, what place do ISIS groups occupy?
ISIS began to penetrate there not so long ago - probably in 2014. For some time it controlled Sirte, a major seaport in the Mediterranean, located approximately in the middle of the Libyan coastline, right on the conditional border of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. But several months ago they were ousted from there, so now it is not possible to say that the Islamic State has any stable positions. They were dealt with, although they continue to have contacts with various Islamist groups operating in the country.
“After Gaddafi was overthrown, Khalifa returned to Libya and gradually led a number of armed forces there, which are now called the National Army. In fact, today he controls most of both the oil fields and oil ports in the country, and in general can be considered a promising figure in terms of military potential.” Photo inosmi.ru
- Who is Khalifa Haftar and what is his place in politics?
Colonel Haftar - famous person. He has been a career soldier in the Libyan armed forces since the 60s. He studied in the Soviet Union, then served in Gaddafi's army, and made a good career. During the war with Chad, he was captured, and relations between him and Gaddafi deteriorated greatly. Therefore, he did not return from captivity and actually went into exile back in the late 80s. After this, he moved to the United States, which gave reason to believe that he managed to emigrate with the help of the CIA. He was viewed in this way - as a protege of the CIA, but this is not known for certain. We only know that he lived in the United States, has an American passport, and is a US citizen. It turns out such an interesting figure: a person speaks fluent Russian, studied in the Soviet Union, has good connections in Russia; on the other hand, he lived in the USA for 20 years, has American citizenship, so, of course, he has connections on the other side of the ocean. This makes Haftar a player who can balance between two geopolitical forces. After Gaddafi was overthrown, Khalifa returned to Libya and gradually led a number of armed forces there, now called the National Army. In fact, today he controls most of both the oil fields and oil ports in the country, and in general can be considered as a promising figure in terms of military potential. It is clear that he has few soldiers - in the division area, and not so many weapons. But, of course, he constantly comes to Russia.
- The media write that Moscow is betting on him. Do you think our country will succeed with him?
Apparently, the bet is on Haftar. In any case, meetings with him have become more frequent at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. In January he visited our cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov in the Mediterranean Sea.
- However, officials deny the fact of his presence on the cruiser.
Such information never gets into the official field through press releases. This is always some information from sources, publications, rumors. Such information has passed through several sources. Perhaps it has some basis in reality. It is absolutely clear that Haftar constantly comes to Moscow for a reason, and he meets with the Russian leadership quite regularly. It is clear that first of all he needs weapons, he needs instructors, he needs modern military equipment. By using Russian support he intends to consolidate his position and possibly unite Libya under his control.
“Apparently, the bet is on Haftar. In any case, meetings with him have become more frequent at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. In January he visited our cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov in the Mediterranean Sea.” Photo lenta.ru
- Is this really a person oriented towards secularism and anti-Islamism?
The way it is. He is by far the most active opponent of all kinds of Islamists, even moderate ones.
- You mean the “Ikhwans” (“Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimi”, “Muslim Brotherhood” - an organization banned in the Russian Federation and Egypt, - approx. ed.)?
Yes, in particular. He is the most secular of all those vying for power in Libya today. He is a career military man, brought up in the traditions of a socialist state, so he is, apparently, more understandable to the Russian leadership. And it seems to me that the bet on it was not accidental.
- What difficulties arise when working with Libyans at different levels (diplomatic, business, etc.)?
There is such a thing as the Middle Eastern mentality, there is an Arab national culture- all this, of course, must be taken into account. Libya is a country where the traditional Arab ethnic culture continues to be strong. Clanism, tribal affiliation, authority, and reputation play a very important role in politics. The overly pragmatic relations that are accepted here and in Europe as a whole are not applicable. It's about that in order to achieve some kind of compromise between people, it is necessary not only to develop some kind of political consensus between them, but also to achieve mutual respect. Otherwise, nothing will work out, even if the parties feel that they need this consensus. But without personal respect it will never be achieved. This feature of the mentality will need to be taken into account.
There was information in the press that Russian special forces and military specialists were in or near Libya. Is not it Russian specialists can they work there?
The information was not that Russian specialists were in Libya, but not far from Libya on Egyptian territory. It must be said that such information was circulated and was refuted. But, from my point of view, it looks quite logical, since Egypt is one of the countries that most actively supports Marshal Haftar. Since Egypt and Russia are establishing extremely close strategic partnership relations, I don’t see anything surprising in the fact that there could be military specialists on Egyptian territory, including those called upon to monitor the situation in Libya. The question is whether an agreement on this was really reached between the Russian leadership, Egypt and Haftar or not. But I think news will continue to come on this topic, and we will know the truth pretty soon.
Timur Rakhmatullin
Kirill Vladimirovich Babaev- Russian scientist, Doctor of Philology, expert on African countries and numismatics.
Today, when the standard of living in Russia has declined, sometimes voices are heard in favor of directing state resources to raise social standards. Why do citizens pay so much for electricity and gas? After all, there is a lot of everything in Russia! Benefits should generally be free! And immediately the image of a country where everything was like that appears in my memory. Highest level life, conditions for personal development, numerous gifts from the state on various occasions and without them, in general, the embodiment of the age-old dream of a “freebie”. And now all this is no more and, obviously, will never be again. We are talking about Libya, a country where, as a result of the “victory of democracy,” dictator Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. What mistakes did he make and which of them was the most important?
So, about the achievements of the dictatorial regime. The average Libyan received an income of one and a half thousand dollars, and a third of this amount was paid not by the employer, but by the state. In other words, the guaranteed minimum payment, which is talked about today in some European countries, was a reality in Libya during the Gaddafi era, although only for workers. Not all, but many, medications were given to patients in pharmacies free of charge. If a citizen wanted to buy a car, then he paid only half of its price, and the rest, again at public expense and free of charge, that is, for nothing. Gasoline is 14 cents per liter, and you can drive until you're blue in the face. The nationalization of oil reserves had a very practical meaning, not like in other countries, where all revenues from production first go to the budget and then are used by the government, no, Libya went further. Part of the proceeds for raw materials was simply transferred directly to the registered bank accounts of citizens, and they themselves decided what to buy with this money. The Libyans simply didn’t know about the rent, they didn’t charge it, and they used electricity like air; they consumed as much as anyone needed. After the collapse of the USSR, it turned out that only one foreign union state owed him anything. This is Libya. This country owed nothing to anyone at all. And a few more details: each newborn was given $7 thousand just like that, for being born, then for the wedding the bride and groom received another $64 thousand so that they could live in a separate apartment, without mothers-in-law. Unemployment benefits - $730. The opportunity to study and intern abroad was paid for by the state. In general, live and be happy.
Libya is a North African country, and besides the desert, there are two important resources here: water and oil. Hydrocarbon reserves are estimated at 44 billion barrels, which is the tenth largest in the world. As for water, this is the most valuable resource in Africa, and indeed in the world in general, in the form of huge underground deposits. Under Gaddafi, construction began on a colossal pipeline and a powerful distribution system, intended not only for domestic consumption, but also for export at a favorable price to neighboring states suffering from droughts and moisture shortages. But it was not always so. During the reign of King Idris the First, the country and its inhabitants could not boast of wealth. After the war, Libya received formal independence, but in reality the resources were controlled from the outside, and military bases were stationed on its territory - French, British and American. In fact, it was an occupation.
Gaddafi overthrew the king, carried out a military coup and came to power. His first order was military bases Western countries were liquidated. Libya's new leader then nationalized all property of foreign residents, including banks, oil companies and land. Thus, he eliminated de facto colonial rule and outlined a course for the independent development of his homeland, and then began to realize the main goal - the construction of true democracy, which has specific national and cultural features. This unique form of government in 1977 received the name “Jamahiriya”, that is, people's democracy on an Islamic basis.
The West tolerated the eccentric leader, who traveled around the world with his Bedouin tent, for quite a long time, several years. However, this did not mean that they had come to terms with Gaddafi, they were simply choosing an opportune moment and a reason to start aggression. In 1986, there was a terrorist attack in West Berlin, during a dance at a disco, someone detonated a bomb, and several American soldiers were killed. The Libyans were immediately blamed for the incident, and, without waiting for the end of the investigation, US aircraft bombed the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. As a result of the raid they were killed civilians, including Hannah, Gaddafi's adopted daughter, but there was no doubt that the main target was him, already declared a dictator and state terrorist.
The next reason for claims against Libya was found in 1988, when terrorists blew up a passenger airliner over the city of Lockerbie (Scotland, UK). Gaddafi was again blamed for what happened, and everything happened again in 1989, after the destruction of another plane flying from Brazzaville to Paris. Whether agents of the Libyan special services had anything to do with the incidents is still not known with complete certainty, but UN sanctions were imposed (1992), and they were severe. Equipment for the oil industry, the main source of state income, was banned, and foreign assets were arrested.
Libya was forced to make concessions. Gaddafi officially admitted the guilt of his country's intelligence services for the terrorist attacks, although even now their interest and motivation are not entirely clear. Two agents were handed over to the West. Libya announced the renunciation of weapons of mass destruction, companies from the United States and Europe again gained access to the development of oil fields, in general, everything was done to soften relations and “open a new page in relations with the West.” The sanctions were lifted in 2003. It seemed that the issue had been resolved.
The civil war in Libya began five years ago, in 2011. Neither the highest living standards, nor the lifting of sanctions, nor a multifaceted partnership with the West have become a guarantee of stability. Gaddafi, of course, made a number of domestic political mistakes, but the main one was his unpreparedness for a forceful confrontation with the opposition fueled from outside. To protect wealth, resources and means are required, and at the right time they were not at the disposal of the national leader. All “friends,” and especially Berlusconi and Sarkozy, suddenly turned into enemies. The drama developed according to the classic scenario, and its outcome is not even surprising.
All that remains is to draw certain parallels between the Libyan events and the current situation around Russia. The first thing that catches your eye is Gaddafi's inability to resist the "humanitarian bombings." NATO planes and drones carried out tasks in the air completely calmly and without fear. In fact, they were directly involved in the brutal murder of the Libyan leader, providing detection and cover. Secondly, it should be remembered that the West is only interested in its own interests and, observing them, will never stop at bloodshed, and assurances of friendship are empty hot air. Thirdly, no relief follows the satisfaction, even unconditional and complete, of all his demands. The result will only be fires and civil war. To be convinced of this, just look at what happened to Libya. And there will be prosperity, there is no doubt about it. All the troubles are minutes, it is only important to save Russia.
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