Rakhmetov
24th February 2011, 19:45
Some people on the Left claim that Gaddafi is a “socialist” or an “anti-imperialist” of some sort. This is false. As a matter of fact, Gaddafi has abandoned any pretence at fighting imperialism, made deals with the US, the UK and other imperialist powers and opened up the country to the oil multinationals.
The rapprochement between Libya and imperialism was stepped up in 2003-4, starting with the recognition of responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. The British released the Libyan man accused of the bombing, to the outrage of the Americans, but the British got lucrative deals with Tripoli. As the Romans used to say, money does not smell.
Reactionary politicians like Tony Blair and Berlusconi wooed Gaddafi. For his part the “anti-imperialist” Gaddafi carried out privatizations and encouraged foreign companies to open up shop in Benghazi and Tripoli. As recently as last November The Economist published a glowing report about Libya, which it compared with Dubai. Now all these dreams are in ruins.
It was precisely these policies which destroyed the elements of a welfare state which existed previously, created a massive gulf between the obscene wealth of the Gaddafi clique and the poverty of the masses and mass unemployment developed. Any progressive features the regime might have had in the past were eliminated. This is the root cause of the present uprising.
http://www.marxist.com/uprising-in-libya-tremble-tyrants.htm
The rapprochement between Libya and imperialism was stepped up in 2003-4, starting with the recognition of responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. The British released the Libyan man accused of the bombing, to the outrage of the Americans, but the British got lucrative deals with Tripoli. As the Romans used to say, money does not smell.
Reactionary politicians like Tony Blair and Berlusconi wooed Gaddafi. For his part the “anti-imperialist” Gaddafi carried out privatizations and encouraged foreign companies to open up shop in Benghazi and Tripoli. As recently as last November The Economist published a glowing report about Libya, which it compared with Dubai. Now all these dreams are in ruins.
It was precisely these policies which destroyed the elements of a welfare state which existed previously, created a massive gulf between the obscene wealth of the Gaddafi clique and the poverty of the masses and mass unemployment developed. Any progressive features the regime might have had in the past were eliminated. This is the root cause of the present uprising.
http://www.marxist.com/uprising-in-libya-tremble-tyrants.htm