When he looks outside, he greets the crowd of supporters formed by his sympathizers. Yet, deep down, he ponders, "What was the 'Arab Spring' after all? According to the information that came, there was turmoil, uprising in the country. What had he done that they wanted him gone while he believed his country was living in prosperity?" He had ruled his beautiful country for 41 years; according to him, no one was disturbed. However, the ones who were uneasy were clear: they were the Crusader forces. Didn't French President Sarkozy say that, the one most afraid of him? (Snapshot)
Who is Muammar Gaddafi?
Muammar Gaddafi, a military-origin dictator, led his country Libya for 41 years. Born in 1942 in the Sirte province of Libya to a nomadic Berber family living in the desert, he had seven sons and eight children in total.
Muammar Gaddafi was a figure who constantly made headlines on the world stage. His tent that he took everywhere he went, his defiant attitude challenging the whole world, and his extravagances made him one of the influential leaders of the world.
Gaddafi graduated from the History Department of the Law Faculty at Libya University, then entered the Benghazi Military Academy. After the academy, he received training in armored warfare tactics at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK and completed his internship. In 1959, Gaddafi, together with his classmates, formed a secret organization in his country, which became the core of the independent officer's movement.
Later, Gaddafi gathered nearly 7,000 loyalists within the army and began preparations to overthrow King Idris el Sunusi, learning that another higher military administration was planning a coup. When the king was on a visit to Turkey, Gaddafi, along with his organization, changed the administration of Libya through a bloodless coup.
As the new leader, he adopted a political policy inspired by a mixture of socialism and Arab nationalism advocated by Jamal Abdul Nasser, announcing that he would apply it to the country.
Gaddafi took Nasser as an example and followed his practices. After taking over the helm of Libya, he nationalized the oil and used oil revenues as an important leverage in foreign policy. Throughout his rule, he then embarked on the path of establishing an Arab League and aspired to lead the Arab countries after Nasser's death. He constantly made harsh statements against Western countries and criticized America. In return, he developed relations with the Soviet Union, starting to supply them with oil. In 1972, he assisted the Muslim movement in Chad that revolted, and later sent his troops to Chad when this movement weakened.
Gaddafi was very active in the political arena in Europe. He provided financial support to socialist governments in Malta, becoming the nightmare of Italy and France both politically and economically. He pitched a tent in the middle of Paris, and if necessary, he intervened with a firm hand against Western countries.
In 1972, as part of a five-year development plan, great emphasis was placed on highways, ports, industrial investments, and health services in the country. Many people even from our country went to Libya to work. After taking the helm of Libya, Gaddafi then embarked on an effort to establish an Arab socialism based on Islamic principles.
He continuously supported dictators like Yasser Arafat and Idi Amin in Africa, often extending a helping hand to them.
However, Gaddafi could not get along with Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat. When Arafat supported Iran in the Iran-Iraq War, they were blacklisted by the United States. Relations between America and Libya continued to be tense. A verbal duel took place between them until 1986. In 1986, the knot was untied, and the U.S. Navy conducted an exercise off the coast of Libya.
Upon this, Gaddafi organized an exercise in a nearby area, saying that if Western planes entered, he would shoot them down. Despite this, America shot down two Libyan planes, and then bombed Tripoli and Benghazi along with Gaddafi's palace. In this bombing, Gaddafi's daughter lost her life. This air strike received strong reactions against the Reagan administration in the world public opinion.
After the attack, Gaddafi's image was shaken, and his officers attempted a coup, but Gaddafi thwarted it.
Gaddafi supported Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in his occupation of Kuwait and consistently adopted an anti-Western stance. In 1992, two Libyan terrorists held responsible for the crash of an American Airlines plane over Scotland were not handed over by Gaddafi, leading to a UN embargo on Libya. European states were constantly afraid of him due to his anti-Western attitude and wealth. Perhaps this attitude brought Gaddafi's end.
In 2011, as a result of sudden demonstrations and regime changes in Middle Eastern countries, named the Arab Spring, Muammar Gaddafi initially resisted, but when a civil war broke out in Libya, he went into hiding. Later, in his hometown Sirte, he was captured by the forces of the National Transitional Council and killed by lynching.
Although Gaddafi was a dictator, he did not oppress his people. However, the West, taking advantage of the disturbances, quickly got rid of the feared Gaddafi. French President Sarkozy called the military operation that was carried out "This is a crusade," and after this crusade, Libya still couldn't establish stable governance. Libya, after Gaddafi, became a country whose resources were exploited like a leaf tossed in the wind. In the end, Muammar Gaddafi met a gruesome end.
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