TENSIONS IN LIBYA STRAIN FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN OBAMA AND GADDAFI
TENSIONS IN LIBYA STRAIN FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN OBAMA AND GADDAFI
February 24 2011
Washington, D.C. – Friendship, true friendship, is one of the enduring mysteries of the human experience. Unlike other relationships where there is a blood or sexual connection, an obvious gain to both parties, friendship has no apparent value. From a purely survival standpoint neither party gains advantage from friendship except in the most dire of circumstances, but of course that makes up a very small portion of any friendship. Friendship too isn't something that we stumble into, it is something we actively seek and go to great lengths to protect.
Whatever reason friendship exists in human culture, and in other species, there is little doubt that it has proven to be advantageous, particularly in those dire circumstances and the expansion of culture. Still, that vast majority of people do not gain or keep friends for some advantage but rather as a result of some deep emotional drive, even in circumstances where sense and reason would seem to preclude such a relationship. Such has apparently been the case between tow markedly odd bedfellows, two world leaders now at the centre of a major global concern. While there was certainly no open hostility between Barack Obama and
Muammar Gaddafi, few would have believed that the two men have become friends, deep friends apparently, a relationship that is now being strained in the face of the ongoing issues in the latter's nation.
"He is someone I consider a friend. He knows he is a son of Africa. Regardless of his African belonging, he is of Arab Sudanese descent, or of Muslim descent. He is a man whose policy should be supported, and he should be assisted in implementing it in any way possible, since he is now leaning towards peace," Gaddafi told al-Hayat. "I urge all peoples to give him this chance and to support this policy, because America is a country that, when its policy is bad – harms the world, and when it is good – it helps the world."
That friendship which has apparently been driven by numerous clandestine fishing excursions and late night phone calls has been on hold since the crisis began in Libya last week.
"There has been no direct communication, official or otherwise, between President Obama and Colonel Gaddafi since the outbreak of this crisis. At this stage, there are no plans for any communication between the two men in any capacity. This situation is something that must end and as the President has stated repeatedly the violence must stop before any discussion can be had," said one White House official. "The relationship between the United States and Libya has certainly improved in recent years and President Obama has continued that good natured partnership but at this stage there is little that can be done to support either Colonel Gaddafi or his regime. For any conversations of any kind to occur the violence against protestors must end."
Libyan forces have reportedly been using tanks and anti-aircraft artillery against protestors, something Gaddafi apparently joked about using against the bass near Camp David.
"There is a very difficult position for Obama in particular. Despite some eccentricities the relationship between Libya and the rest of the world has been much improved in 
recent years. Obama has continued that tradition and, at least if Gaddafi is to be believed, they have actually forged a personal relationship. It's a shame that these global politics have to come into the equation," said Scrape TV American analyst Dave Davidson. "Unfortunately they do and with the way things have been going I think it's unlikely that Obama will be willing to do anything to help his fried. To be fair they haven't known each other all that long, but sometimes people just click. Maybe they will be able to re-up that friendship once Obama is out of office, that is of course assuming the people of Libya don't go all Ceausescu on Muammar. That would pretty much put an end to things."
recent years. Obama has continued that tradition and, at least if Gaddafi is to be believed, they have actually forged a personal relationship. It's a shame that these global politics have to come into the equation," said Scrape TV American analyst Dave Davidson. "Unfortunately they do and with the way things have been going I think it's unlikely that Obama will be willing to do anything to help his fried. To be fair they haven't known each other all that long, but sometimes people just click. Maybe they will be able to re-up that friendship once Obama is out of office, that is of course assuming the people of Libya don't go all Ceausescu on Muammar. That would pretty much put an end to things."
Gaddafi has apparently made multiple calls to Obama's Blackberry but to no avail.
0o0
Gaddafi and Obama
August 23rd, 2011 by John Feehery
Muammar Gaddafi
If and when Muammar Gaddafi is finally deposed in Libya, President Obama probably deserves some credit. He backed Nicholas Sarkozy and NATO's efforts to aid the rebels (whoever they are). He authorized the Navy and the Air Force to bomb the hell out of the bad guys. And of course, he has been boldly predicting that Gaddafi's days are numbered, a nice counter-balance to the Libyan dictator's assurances that he was going nowhere.
Will Obama get that credit? Probably not.
Most Americans don't care what happens to Mr. Gaddafi. They are worried less about the economic future of Tripoli and more worried about jobs in their own community. Why should we spend our hard-earned tax dollars deposing a far-away dictator when we have a huge budget deficit and a struggling economy back here?
For the conspiracy theorists out there, there is a persistent rumor that we went into Libya to bailout Goldman Sachs.
Goldman lost 98% of Libya's Sovereign Wealth Fund in 2007 (which amounted to $1.3 billion, a lot of it personal Gaddafi money, undoubtedly), and the Libyans were not very happy about it. Goldman could never come up with a solution to this problem that could make the dictator happy.
Here is an excerpt from a story from the Wall Street Journal about the relationship between Goldman and Gaddafi:
"When they arrived in Tripoli that July, the Goldman partners got a warm greeting from senior fund officials and a cadre of inexperienced employees who hoped to make the fund one of the largest of its kind in the world. Goldman's team included its head of fixed-income sales in Europe and its executive in charge of clients in northern Africa.
To the Libyans, though, the main attraction was Driss Ben-Brahim, Goldman's Arabic-speaking emerging-markets trading chief, who ran one of its most profitable trading desks and was rumored to be among its highest-paid employees.
"We were in awe of Driss," one former Libyan Investment Authority executive recalls.
"He was like a rock star…while we were making peanuts. We felt honored by his presence."
Goldman subsequently offered the Libyans the opportunity to invest $350 million in two funds run by Goldman's asset-management unit, according to people involved in the transactions. Access to the funds usually is offered only to the firm's best clients, along with Goldman partners. The Libyans accepted.
Youssef Kabbaj, the Goldman executive in charge of North Africa, became a frequent presence at the Libyan Investment Authority as the investment bank worked to expand the relationship. He worked with the fund's management on investment ideas and encouraged younger employees to deepen their financial knowledge by attending Goldman training sessions, these people said.
Goldman soon carved out a new business with the Libyans, in options—investments that give buyers the right to purchase stocks, currencies or other assets on a future date at stipulated prices. Between January and June 2008, the Libyan fund paid $1.3 billion for options on a basket of currencies and on six stocks: Citigroup Inc., Italian bank UniCredit SpA, Spanish bank Banco Santander, German insurance giant Allianz, French energy company Électricité de France and Italian energy company Eni SpA. The fund stood to reap gains if prices of the underlying stocks or currencies rose above the stipulated levels.
But that fall, the credit crisis hit with a vengeance as Lehman Brothers failed and banks all over the world faced financial crises. The $1.3 billion of option investments were hit especially hard. The underlying securities plunged in value and all of the trades lost money, according to an internal Goldman memo reviewed by the Journal. The memo said the investments were worth just $25.1 million as of February 2010—a decline of 98%.
Officials at the sovereign-wealth fund accused Goldman of misrepresenting the investment deals and making trades without proper authorization, according to people familiar with the situation. In July 2008, Mr. Zarti, the fund's deputy chairman, summoned Mr. Kabbaj, Goldman's North Africa chief, to a meeting with the fund's legal and compliance staff, according to Libyan Investment Authority emails reviewed by the Journal.
One person who attended the meeting says Mr. Zarti was "like a raging bull," cursing and threatening Mr. Kabbaj and another Goldman employee. Goldman arranged for security to protect the employees until they left Libya the next day, according to people familiar with the matter."
If Zarti was a raging bull, imagine how mad Gaddafi (who was mad in a different sense) would have been.
Of course, we don't go to war to bail out our big investment banks, right?
That is way too cynical. But questions do arise as to why we were so adamant to get rid of Gaddafi and much less adamant about getting rid of Assad in Syria. Both are killing their own people to stay in power. Libya actually was a better partner over the last couple of years in the war on terror than Syria.
Obama might see the downfall of Gaddafi as a big political winner for him, but I have my doubts. It seems the only clear-cut beneficiary of this regime change was Goldman-Sachs.
Tags: America, Assad, Barack Obama, Economy, Goldman-Sachs, Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, NATO, Nicholas Sarkozy, Obama, Politics, spending, Syria, Tripoli, Wall Street Journal, war, Zarti
One Response to "Gaddafi and Obama"
0o0
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Bu`i Ba?o So+n < >
To:
Sent: Friday, 21 October 2011 7:03 AM
Subject: [Exryu-ww-Forum] Nhà độc tài Gadhafi bị giết chết (hình ảnh tàn bạo)
 Những phút cuối cùng cuả nhà độc taì Gadhafi. Các nhà độc taì khác còn laị trên thế giớí như Trung Cộng, Việt Cộng, Cọng sản Bắc Triều Tiên nên xem để biết chuyện gì sẽ xãy đến cho họ và gia đình họ. Caỉ tà quy chánh vẩn còn kịp, đừng để trể như Hitler, Mussolini, Sadam Hussein, và Gadhafi.... The last minutes of tyrant Gadhafi's life. The remaining tyrants of the world - Chinese, Vietnamese and North Korean Members of Communist Party Political Bureau - Watch out ! The world knows your crimes against humanity. Your time will come, soon. Gaddafi's last moments alive: Dictator begs for his life after being dragged from a drain. Seconds later he was summarily executed
Last updated at 8:58 PM on 20th October 2011 Wounded, weakened and covered in blood and dirt, the bedraggled fallen dictator was hauled from a truck to meet his unceremonious end. In front of a baying mob and amid gun-waving chaotic scenes, Muammar Gaddafi, the former Libyan leader, begged the revolutionary soldiers for his life. Becoming increasingly desperate, he asked one rebel fighter: 'What did I ever do to you?' But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The deposed despot was thrown onto another truck and taken away - to be mercilessly shot to death. His spilt blood heralded the end of a terrible 42-year epoch in Libyan history. Scroll down for video of Gaddafi's last minutes...  Pleading: Muammar Gaddafi pleaded with his captors for his life after he was found cowering in a storm drain   Paraded: Gaddafi struggled with his captors in this video footage taken by rebel fighters after he was captured  Terrified: Gaddafi pleaded for his life after he was captured by rebel fighters   Fear: Becoming increasingly desperate, Gaddafi asked a rebel fighter 'What did I ever do to you'  Chaotic: Gaddafi was pushed around by rebel fighters, one of whom filmed the incident on a mobile telephone These gruesome pictures are taken from a video that has emerged of the tyrant's final moments after he was captured earlier today. After weeks of speculation as to his whereabouts, Gaddafi was finally tracked down and killed in Sirte, his final stronghold and the town of his birth. Like Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi's last hiding place was no more than a hole in the ground, a storm drain near to where his last few loyalists had staged their last stand As news of his death swept through the country and across the world, bloody images of the 69-year-old tyrant slumped across the legs of a revolutionary fighter emerged.  Struggle: Video footage shows Gaddafi being hauled off a rebel fighter truck minutes after his capture   Manhandled: Rebel fighters pictured being taken off a truck shortly after he was detained  Arguing: Gaddafi pictured in chaotic video footage minutes before he was killed Watch the footage of Gaddafi's last minutes in this video: Libya's prime minister Mahmoud Jibril this afternoon confirmed the former dictator was dead. Gaddafi's eldest son Saif was yesterday said to have been shot in the leg during a firefight and taken to hospital - with some, as yet unconfirmed, reports suggesting he has since died. His other son Mutassim has been confirmed to have died in today's battle. 'We have been waiting for this moment for a long time,' said Jibril. 'Muammar Gaddafi has been killed'  Procession: Libyans have been flocking to the morgue, where Gaddafi's body was taken, and have been taking photographs of him  Dead: Gaddafi's son Mutassim was also killed in a firefight in Sirte today The news was also welcomed by Prime Minister David Cameron who said he was 'proud' of the role Britain had played in protecting Libyan civilians. And U.S. President Barack Obama hailed Gaddafi's death as a 'momentous day' in the history of Libya but warned of 'difficult days ahead' on the road to full democracy in the country. He urged the Libyan people to respect the human rights of those they had detained and said the Nato mission in Libya would soon come to an end. He said: 'This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya.  Brutal: There had been fierce fighting around the drain before Gaddafi was finally killed. The body of a fighter can be seen in the dust at the centre of the screen  Already a monument: As celebrations continued, more and more graffiti appeared at the entrance to the drain where the leader was eventually found  Battleground: Bodies of suspected Gaddafi loyalists lie outside the storm drains their leader was captured 'For four decades the Gaddafi regime ruled the Libyan people with an iron fist. Basic human rights were denied, innocent civilians were detained, beaten and killed and Libya's wealth was squandered, enormous potential of Libyan people was held back and terror was used as a political weapon. 'Today we can definitively say that the Gaddafi regime has come to an end. This is a momentous day in the history of Libya. 'The dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted and with this enormous promise the Libyan people now have a great responsibility to build an inclusive and tolerant and democratic Libya that stands as the ultimate rebuke to Gaddafi's dictatorship.   Statements: Both U.S. President Barack Obama (left) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (right) have welcomed the news of Gaddafi's death 'We call on our Libya friends to continue to work with the international community to secure dangerous materials and to respect the human rights of all Libyans, including those who have been detained. 'We are under no illusions. Libya will travel a long and winding road to full democracy. There will be difficult days ahead. But the United States, together with the international community, is committed to the Libyan people.'  Headshot: The body of former Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi lies in an ambulance as it is brought to hospital in Misrata, a bullet hole visible in his temple Gaddafi is the first leader to be killed in the Arab Spring wave of popular uprisings that swept the Middle East. It is believed he will be given a secret burial. The revolutionary offensive began around 8am local time and progressed quickly into the town centre. Gaddafi had been barricaded in with his heavily armed loyalists in the last few buildings they held west of the central Green Square. Nato airstrikes and revolutionary ground forces concentrated on a compound in that area of the town. National Transitional Council (NTC) soldiers said that a convoy of at least five vehicles tried to leave the town in the early morning, but it came under sustained fire - first from a Hellfire missile and then from French fighters jets which were part of the Nato force. The vehicles were forced to return to the loyalist-controlled area as battle continued. Gaddaffi, already injured, was found a short time later in a large storm-water drain. Fighter Mohammed Al Bibi told reporters that the toppled tyrant had pleaded 'Don't shoot, don't shoot' as he attempted to surrender. He had been wounded in the legs. NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta said: 'He [Gaddafi] was also hit in his head. There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.'  Bundled: An ambulance carries Gaddafi's body from Sirte to Misrata  Transporting: An ambulance, containing happy rebel fighters, carries Gaddafi's body after he was executed Mobile phone footage, released shortly after the news of his capture broke, showed a bloodied Gaddafi being manhandled. Al Jazeera also showed footage of what appeared to be Gaddafi's shirtless and lifeless body being dragged along the ground. The body was then taken to the nearby city of Misrata, which Gaddafi's forces were besieged for months in one of the bloodiest fronts of the civil war. Al-Arabiya TV showed footage of Gaddafi's bloodied body carried on the top of a vehicle surrounded by a large crowd chanting: 'The blood of the martyrs will not go in vain.'  Devastated: NATO airstrikes and revolutionary ground forces concentrated on a compound in Sirte, where they believed Gaddafi was hiding   Battle scarred: Rebel fighters look at the corpse of a Gaddafi loyalist (left) as another rebel (right) who claims to have witnessed the capture holds up Gaddafi's shoe as a trophy  Bombed out: Vehicles belonging to Gaddafi's supporters sit destroyed near Sirte after NATO airstrikes   Double celebration: Anti-Gaddafi fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte, but the news soon came that the leader himself had been captured  End of conflict: The fall of Sirte ends the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the deposed leader, and ends a two-month siege  All that's left: A lone revolutionary soldier fires into the air in celebration. Behind him lies the ruins of a town all but destroyed by fighting Rebels said he had been armed with a golden handgun when he was found and was wearing a khaki uniform. Later images showed young revolutionary soldiers cheering and holding a golden handgun. Other soldiers say they slapped the dead Gaddafi's face with a shoe to express their disgust and lack of respect. The reports of Gaddafi's capture came on the same day that revolutionary forces said that they had taken control of Sirte - the leader's home town.  Celebrations: Thousands came out on the streets of Tripoli as news of the dictator's demise spread  Joy: Many carried flags while some showed off pictures of the dead dictator who had been in power for 40 years Initial reports from CNN and the National Transitional Council (NTC) said Gaddafi was in custody, while Al Jazeera reported that a 'big fish' had been caught but did not provide a name. Al Jazeera later joined Al-Arabiya in saying that Gaddafi had been killed, but did not provide any further information. Libya's transitional government forces have taken full control of the city - the last stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists. Gaddafi's presence there would explain why fighting had been so intense in the past few weeks. Al Jazeera reported spontaneous celebration in cities like Benghazi and Tripoli, with people cheering and shouting, car horns sounding and small arms fire being heard. The official also said the head of Gaddafi's armed forces, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr, was also killed during the capture of the former Libyan leader. The NTC said Sirte's fall would be the point at which it would declare Libya liberated. The transitional authorities have said a new government would then be formed within a month, and the current administration would resign.   Golden trophy: Young Libyans hold a gold-plated handgun belonging to Gaddafi, left, while a still from mobile phone footage purportedly shows his bloodied body being carried in the street in Sirte CAMERON: TYRANT'S FALL IS START OF 'STRONG, DEMOCRATIC FUTURE' |
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Dzung T <dzungthedinh@yahoo.com>
To: Exryu Forum <exryu-ww-forum@yahoogroups.com>; "exryu-ww-vannghe@yahoogroups.com" <exryu-ww-vannghe@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 8:05 AM
Subject: [Exryu-ww-Forum] Nhà độc tài Gadhafi bị giết chết (hình ảnh tàn bạo)
To: Exryu Forum <exryu-ww-forum@yahoogroups.com>; "exryu-ww-vannghe@yahoogroups.com" <exryu-ww-vannghe@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 8:05 AM
Subject: [Exryu-ww-Forum] Nhà độc tài Gadhafi bị giết chết (hình ảnh tàn bạo)
Một trong những người "bạn" cũ của tt Obama vừa bị giết, dù chỉ là bạn quyền lợi, ngoại giao, chính trị
Đừng quên Osama, Tưởng, Hồ Chí Minh đều đã từng được giúp đỡ, thậm chí huấn luyện bởi uncle Sam
"Ai chơi với kếm, hại bởi kiếm"
Nếu chịu nhượng bộ sớm đâu để họa đến thân
D~
Đừng quên Osama, Tưởng, Hồ Chí Minh đều đã từng được giúp đỡ, thậm chí huấn luyện bởi uncle Sam
"Ai chơi với kếm, hại bởi kiếm"
Nếu chịu nhượng bộ sớm đâu để họa đến thân
D~
No comments:
Post a Comment