The only world leader

If you think at political success on the international scene as an indicator of power, then there is only one “leader” who seems to be consistently obtaining results: Muammar al-Gaddafi.

Under GW2, he was re-established as a dignified leader people could talk to (and do business openly instead than under cover as they all did, including US firms).

Sarkozy sent his former wife (current wife at that time) to get the liberation of the Bulgarian nurses who were being detained as hostages and for a cover-up of the poor conditions of the health system in Libya.

The UK released the only person condemned for Lockerbie and the latter was received as an hero.

During his entire recent official visit to Italy, he exhibited on his vest a picture of the arrest by Italian troops in 1931 of the first Libyan hero, the guerrilla leader Omar al Mukhtar, but this provocation was found acceptable by Berlusconi who had recently signed a friendship agreement with the Colonel.
And, last but not least, just last week the Swiss apologized for the arrest last year in Geneva of Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife for mistreating (in fact holding like slaves) their house employees from Morocco. A well justified arrest but unless the Swiss apologized, two poor Swiss Nationals kept innocent hostages in Libya since one year would not have been released.

How many world leaders can show so much success ? how low is the morale level of Western democracies (let us forget Berlusconi’s Italy of course where there is no morale as a matter of principle) just for a few barrels of oil ? Gaddafi is an assassin (Lockerbie and the DC10 over the Sahara among others), hostage taker, heading a bunch of crooks (Hannibal, his sister, his other brother, all well known by the European police authorities for their excesses and arrogance) but world leaders bow in front of him.

Let us stop pretending that Human Rights are a priority, and feel ashamed.

Photo: (Alessandro di Meo/EPA)