Resurrection of Libya or Diversions of a Despot

One of the most interesting and chameleonic leaders of contemporary politics is Muammar al-Gaddafi, revolutionary leader of Libya for the last 40 years. I am not, nor do I think of myself as, an expert on Gaddafi. I would rather develop other abilities. I observe Gaddafi from time to time, because he is great at reinventing himself and surprising us. He gives hope to those of us that are forced to withstand, at some point in time, the abuses of a tyrant.

Gaddafi was the leader of the first of OPEC’s arrogant challenges in the ‘70s, he protected terrorists over the years, trained revolutionaries, and threatened the world as much as he could from his poor but petro-powerful country. Gaddafi was a threat to world peace, until one day foreign planes bombarded his military bases and among the victims was one of his daughters and several of his colleagues. He was spared in the bombardment and I thought he would emerge from the experience even more bitter and resentful. It was not the case. Gaddafi disappeared from the public eye for a long time. Sometimes photos of him, looking tired and weary, would appear (I would have felt the same way, but dictators rebound from the punches like magic balls). However, he remained in power. A couple of years ago he put together a series of policies that seemed laudable, albeit a bit carried away by the imagination and dreams of economic grandeur. Libya would become a leader in technological education and would increase its industrial productivity. It sounded promising but a bit unrealistic given Libya’s history. But recently Gaddafi made a surprise announcement. He fired all members of his executive (I don’t think there is a Judicial or Legislative branch, per say, in Libya) for being corrupt. He has also stated that all oil revenues the country produces will be distributed directly to the people, since they are the real owners of the oil, which is true. It is an extreme and extremely sensible measure, assuming it is legitimate in its objective and not just a parody of power.

At a time when politicians around the world are lobbying for more intervention in the economy, justified by the failure of the global banking system and the possibility of a global economic recession, Gaddafi announces he is going in the opposite direction. He is going to leave the economic vote in the hands of the Libyan people. I’ll have to see it to believe it, but it is a valid idea. Increasing aggregate demand to bypass prospects of a global depression is quite sensitive if coupled with rule of law and other growth policies.

Maybe he won’t do anything and this is just his way of diverting the country’s attention, fighting political enemies and experimenting with other ways to communicate with his people. Who knows what problems Gaddafi and Libya face? In any case, the announcement gives some hope to the belief that good ideas can emerge from corrupt and incompetent systems. It give us hope that humanity and leaders that seem stuck from so many vantage points, sometimes, when they hit rock bottom, can come up with redeeming ideas.

History takes many unexpected turns, and that is why we should and should not believe in miracles. The only sustainable miracle is that of being alive and being able to contribute to the economic, spiritual and emotional growth of humanity. If we all pitch in, day in and day out, with work and morality, bravery and sensibility, put a stop to greed and our own pillaging, and signal a better path to our friends, little by little we will gain in economic and political democracy. That is the best and most lasting type of active resistance. Who knows what lies ahead for Gaddafi, but we can learn to respond to the daily and common attacks against our own dignity and responsibility with seriousness, dedication and determination to achieve the moral triumph of the community. If other leaders follow Gaddafi’s example and decide, without the help of vagabond intermediaries, to distribute the public purse, we should then be ready to take full advantage of those resources and invest in our future.