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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

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For his younger brother, see Saif al-Arab al-Gaddafi.
Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi
سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي
File:Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.jpg
Saif al-islam Gaddafi adressing Libya on television.
Personal details
Born
Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi

(1972-06-25) June 25, 1972 (age 52)
Tripoli, Libya
Alma materAl Fateh University (B.Eng)
IMADEC University (MBA)
London School of Economics (PhD)[1]
Occupation(GDF) Founder & President
ProfessionEngineer, Politician
WebsiteGDF

Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi (born June 25, 1972, Arabic: سيف الإسلام معمر القذافي, translated as "Sword of Islam, Muammar of the Qaddafa"), is a Libyan engineer and politician. He is the second son of Muammar Gaddafi, leader of Libya, and his second wife Safia Farkash. He is a part of his father's inner circle,[2] performing public relations and diplomatic roles on behalf of his father. In Libya, he is the second most-widely recognized official after his father[3] and has been mentioned as a possible successor, though he has denied this.[4]

Education and career

In 1994, Saif al-Islam graduated with a BSc in Engineering Science from Tripoli's Al Fateh University, and earned an MBA from Vienna's IMADEC University in 2000.

His paintings made up the bulk of the international Libyan art exhibit, "The Desert Is Not Silent" (2002–2005),[5] a show which was supported by a host of international corporations with direct ties to the Gaddafi regime.[6]

In 2008, he was awarded a PhD from London School of Economics, for a thesis entitled "The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from 'soft power' to collective decision-making?"[7][8] Examined by Meghnad Desai (London School of Economics) and Anthony McGrew (University of Southampton), among the LSE academics acknowledged in the thesis as directly assisting with it were Nancy Cartwright, David Held and Alex Voorhoeve. Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard University is also thanked for having read portions of the manuscript and providing advice and direction.[9][10] In a later investigation by Channel 4 News, they found that 6% of the 93,000-word thesis was copied from other sources.[11]

He is an architect with his own architectural agency in Tripoli—the National Engineering Service and Supplies Company.[citation needed]

Saif is the president of the Libyan National Association for Drugs and Narcotics Control (DNAG). In 1997, he founded the official charity, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, which has intervened in various hostage situations involving Islamic militants and the crisis of the HIV trial in Libya and the resulting European Union-Libyan rapprochement.

Speaking in Sabha on August 20, 2008, Saif said that he would no longer involve himself in state affairs. He noted that he had previously "intervene[d] due to the absence of institutions",[12] but said that he would no longer do so. He dismissed any potential suggestion that this decision was due to disagreement with his father, saying that they were on good terms. He also called for political reforms within the context of the Jamahiriya system and rejected the notion that he could succeed his father, saying that "this is not a farm to inherit".[12]

International diplomacy

Saif was instrumental in negotiations that led to Libya's abandoning a weapons of mass destruction programme in 2002–2003. He arranged several important business deals on behalf of the Libyan regime in the period of rapprochement that followed. He was viewed as a reformer, and has openly criticized the regime:[13]

[a] congressional aide asked him what Libya needed most. His one-word answer: democracy.

"You mean Libya needs more democracy?" the aide asked.

"No. 'More democracy’ would imply that we had some," Saif said.

In 2003, he published a report critical of Libya's record on human rights.

On December 10, 2004, shortly before a trip by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to Tripoli, in an interview with The Globe and Mail Saif requested a formal apology from the Canadian government, for joining U.S.-led sanctions against Libya after the Lockerbie bombing, and for denying him a student visa to study in Canada in 1997. His request was met with incredulity in Canada, and the Canadian government announced that no apology would be forthcoming.

HIV trial

Main article: HIV Trial in Libya

Saif admitted in interviews that the Bulgarian nurses had been tortured and the government denied them a fair trial. His admissions badly damaged his reputation in Libya, and to the current day, Libyans see him as a panderer to Western interests.[3]

Isratine proposal

Saif introduced the Isratine proposal to permanently resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a secular, federalist, republican one-state solution.[14] The first ever opinion poll survey to be undertaken in both Pakistani and Indian-controlled Kashmir, conducted by King's College, London, and the polling organisation IPSOS-MORI, was also Saif's brainchild,[15] having arisen out of discussions he had with British academic Robert Bradnock, the author of the 2010 Chatham House report on the survey.[16]

2008 agreement with Italy

Saif was involved in negotiating compensation from Libya's former colonial power, Italy, and on 30 August 2008 a Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was signed in Benghazi by his father and Italy's prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.[17]

Compensation for American terror victims

He is also negotiating with the United States in order to conclude a comprehensive agreement making any further payments for American victims of terror attacks that have been blamed on Libya — such as the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing, the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing — conditional upon U.S. payment of compensation for the 40 Libyans killed and 220 injured in the 1986 United States bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi. On August 14, 2008, the U.S.-Libya Comprehensive Claims Settlement Agreement was signed in Tripoli. Former British Ambassador to Libya Oliver Miles described the agreement as "a bold step, with political cost for both parties" and wrote an article in the online edition of The Guardian querying whether the agreement is likely to work.[18]

In an August 2008 BBC TV interview, Saif Gaddafi said that Libya had admitted responsibility (but not "guilt") for the Lockerbie bombing simply to get trade sanctions removed. He further admitted that Libya was being "hypocritical" and was "playing on words", but Libya had no other choice on the matter. According to Saif, a letter admitting "responsibility" was the only way to end the economic sanctions imposed on Libya. When asked about the compensation that Libya was paying to the victims' families, he again repeated that Libya was doing so because it had no other choice. He went on to describe the families of the Lockerbie victims as "trading with the blood of their sons and daughters" and being very "greedy": "They were asking for more money and more money and more money".[19]

Diplomacy for extraditing Libyans

Interviewed by French newspaper Le Figaro on December 7, 2007, Saif said that the seven Libyans convicted for the Pan Am Flight 103 and the UTA Flight 772 bombings "are innocent".[20] When asked if Libya would therefore seek reimbursement of the compensation paid to the families of the victims ($2.33 billion), Saif replied: "I don't know."[20] Saif led negotiations with Britain for the release of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the convicted Pan Am 103 conspirator.[13]

In 2007, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Tripoli, with whom it is alleged he helped broker an arms deal, including missiles.[21][22][23]

In November 2008, Saif made a high-profile visit to the United States where he met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. During the meeting, Rice raised the case of Libya's jailed political dissident and democracy activist, Fathi El-Jahmi.[24]

Stand-off with US officials

In 2009, Saif claimed that Libya's opinion of him was shaped largely by his role in Libya's engagement with the West, saying "If something goes wrong, people will blame me, whether I am in a certain official position or not." He expressed frustration with the US, saying Libya's decision to give up its Weapons of Mass Destruction programs was contingent upon "compensation" from the US, including the signing of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, economic cooperation, and cooperation in purchasing conventional weapons and military equipment. He stated, "We share rich natural resources -- oil and gas -- along the borders, yet we have no capacity to defend that wealth." Because of a US legal embargo, Libya cannot purchase weapons from the United States, Sweden, or Germany, and has been disallowed from buying "Tiger" vehicles with American-manufactured engines from Jordan. He asked for greater military assistance, as Libya had committed itself to destroying chemical stockpiles, but would require at least $25 million to do so. Saif said the United States had "humiliated" his father during his visit to New York in 2009, and said that his father's tent and residence issues were disappointing and his UN speech had been misinterpreted. Saif said that his father was barred from visiting Ground Zero, which also frustrated him. Saif held a standoff with US officials in November 2009, refusing to send a shipment of HEU back to Russia unless the United States had renewed its commitment to cooperation with Libya.[25]

Arrest warrant

A warrant for his arrest was issued in late June 2011, for crimes against humanity.[26]

2011 Libyan civil war

Main article: 2011 Libyan civil war

On February 20, 2011 at 18:00 EST, he made an extemporaneous speech on Libyan state TV. In it, he blamed the civil war on tribal factions and Islamists acting on their own agendas, drunken and drugged. He promised reforms, and said the alternative would be civil war causing no trade, no oil money, and the country taken over by foreigners. He promised tens of thousands dead if protests continued, and "a river of blood".[27] He closed by saying, "We will not let Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and BBC trick us." Many analysts disagreed with his assessment, including Oliver Miles, a former British Ambassador to Libya.[28][29] In an interview to ABC news reporter Christiane Amanpour Saif al-Islam denied that his father's regime is killing civilians.[30] On February 28, 2011 a video became available online in which Saif Qaddafi appears to spur on a crowd of followers to fight the opposition, and promises weapons to them, while brandishing a G36 assault rifle.[31] On June 27 an arrest warrant was issued by ICC.[32] In August 2011, Saif gave an interview to the New York Times stating that Libya was becoming more closely aligned to Islamists and would likely resemble Iran or Saudi Arabia. Saif said that his father was working closely with Islamists within the rebellion to splinter the resistance.[33]

Personal life

Saif has a reputation for hard-partying and womanizing, drifting him apart from the hardline Islamic conservatism in Libya. In 2006, Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi was romantically linked to the Israeli actress, Orly Weinerman.[34][35] In 2009, he threw a party in Montenegro for his 37th birthday. Notable guests included Oleg Deripaska, Peter Munk and Prince Albert of Monaco. He previously hosted similar parties in St Tropez and Monaco.[36] He has been said to be a lavish spender, and even paid Mariah Carey $1 million to sing 4 songs at a private party on St. Barts.[37]

Unlike his father, Saif is bald.

British society

Gaddafi has been hosted at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle by the British royal family. Gaddafi claims that former Prime Minister Tony Blair is a personal friend who took an interest in advising Libya on oil revenues and finance. In 2009, he spent a weekend at Waddesdon Manor, home of financier Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, where he was the guest of Lord Mandelson and Nathaniel Philip Rothschild. He later stayed at the Rothschild holiday home in Corfu. Nathaniel Rothschild was a guest at Saif's 37th birthday celebration in Montenegro.[38][39][40]

Main article: LSE Libya Links

Saif received his PhD from the London School of Economics in 2008.[41][42] LSE Professor David Held was one of the mentors of Saif Gaddafi according to a New York Times article.[43] Through the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, Saif subsequently pledged a donation of £1.5 million to support the work of the LSE's Centre for the Study of Global Governance on civil society organizations in North Africa. Following the LSE Libya Links affair, the LSE has issued a statement indicating that it will cut all financial ties with the country and will accept no further money from the Foundation, having already received and spent the first £300,000 installment of the donation.[44]

Like the thesis of former German minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, of the vice president of the European parliament, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Veronica Sass, daughter of former Bavarian minister president Edmund Stoiber, and Mathias Pröfrock, a German CDU politician, Saif's thesis is analyzed using crowdsourcing.[45]

Commentators claim that passages appear to have been plagiarised from other sources without attribution.[citation needed] Pressure is being put on the LSE to revoke his qualification[46] and investigate the claims.[47][48]

References

  1. ^ Thomas, Landon (February 28, 2010). "Unknotting Father's Reins in Hope of 'Reinventing' Libya". New York Times.
  2. ^ "Inside Gaddafi's inner circle". Al Jazeera. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/28/world/20101128-cables-viewer.html#report/libya-09TRIPOLI208
  4. ^ "The Politics of Blackmail". Newsweek. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ The Desert Is Not Silent, Internet Archive record, Historical index.
  6. ^ Commercial partners of "The Desert Is Not Silent", Internet Archive record, 29 June 2007.
  7. ^ Alqadhafi, Saif Al-Islam, The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from "soft power" to collective decision-making?, London School of Economics Library, 2008.
  8. ^ Gaddafi son calls for democracy, BBC News, 16 September 2009.
  9. ^ Desai, Meghnad (2011) LSE is paying a heavy price for Saif Gaddafi's PhD: When it comes to Saif Gaddafi and his PhD, hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing, The Guardian, Friday 4 March 2011
  10. ^ Alqadhafi, Saif Al-Islam (2008) The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions: from "soft power" to collective decision-making? A thesis submitted to the Department of Philosophy of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2007, and published 2008, p.4.
  11. ^ "Fact Check:Saif Gaddafi - Genius or Fraud?". Channel4 News. 2011-02-04. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  12. ^ a b "Qaddafi's son declares he's leaving politics", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), August 22, 2008.
  13. ^ a b James Verini (22 May 2011). "The Good Bad Son". Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  14. ^ "White Book (ISRATINE)". 2003-05-08. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  15. ^ The Survey In Kashmir Was Saif Gaddafi's Idea, Outlook, June 14, 2010.
  16. ^ Kashmir: Paths to Peace, Chatham House, UK.
  17. ^ Italy's Bilateral Relations with the Maghreb Countries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy.
  18. ^ Miles, Oliver (2008-08-16). "The long road to normalisation". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  19. ^ "Lockerbie evidence not disclosed". BBC. 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  20. ^ a b Template:Fr Saif says "Libyans are innocent" of the Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772 bombings, Le Figaro, December 7, 2007.
  21. ^ "Sarkozy denies weapons deals to Libya", Jerusalem Post. August 4, 2007. Accessed February 27, 2011.
  22. ^ "EADS confirms it is selling military equipment to Libya", New York Times. August 3, 2007. Accessed February 27, 2011.
  23. ^ "Profile: Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam", The Telegraph. August 22, 2009. Accessed February 27, 2011.
  24. ^ "Rice Meets Gadhafi Son, Raises Dissident Case". Voice of America. 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-11-21. [dead link]
  25. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/28/world/20101128-cables-viewer.html#report/libya-09TRIPOLI941
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ Gaddafi's son talks of conspiracy, Aljazeera, February 20, 2011.
  28. ^ How will Libya's protests play out?, Oliver Miles, The Guardian, February 20, 2011.
  29. ^ Libya on brink as protests hit Tripoli, Ian Black, The Guardian, February 21, 2011.
  30. ^ 'This Week' Transcript: Saif al-Islam and Saadi Gadhafi, ABC News.
  31. ^ Qaddafi's son promises weapons to followers, CBS News, 28 February 2011.
  32. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13927208
  33. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/world/africa/04seif.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
  34. ^ Ziabi, Jamil (2006-01-17). ""Arab-Hebrew" Love Affair". Dar Al-Hayat. Archived from the original on 2008-05-24. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  35. ^ La Voz de Galicia (15 January 2006). "Terra Chá, tierra de centenarios: Hechos y figuras". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). A Coruña, Spain: La Voz de Galicia, S.A. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  36. ^ Milo with billionaires at Saif Gadaffi’s birthday party, Visit Montenegro, 28/06/2009.
  37. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/world/africa/23cables.html?_r=1
  38. ^ "Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: The new face of Libyan defiance", Jamie Doward. The Guardian. February 26, 2011. Accessed February 26, 2011.
  39. ^ "Gaddafi son at heart of British society", Joe Murphy. Evening Standard. February 23, 2011. Accessed February 26, 2011.
  40. ^ "Please help us, my good friend Tony Blair: Gaddafi's son asks for former PM's help to 'crush enemies', Daily Mail. February 25, 2011. Accessed February 26, 2011.
  41. ^ Saif Al-Gaddafi, "The Role of Civil Society in the Democratization of Global Governance Institutions: From 'Soft Power' to Collective Decision-Making?" PhD Thesis, London School of Economics, 2008.
  42. ^ http://www2.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2011/03/director_steps_down.aspx
  43. ^ A London University Wrestles With a Qaddafi Gift, New York Times, March 1, 2011.
  44. ^ Statement on Libya, London School of Economics, February 2011.
  45. ^ "Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi Thesis Wiki". Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  46. ^ Pressure on LSE to annul Gaddafi son’s PhD, Chris Cook, Financial Times, February 24, 2011
  47. ^ Eliot Sefton, LSE investigates Saif Gaddafi plagiarism claims, The First Post, 1 March 2011.
  48. ^ Sellgren, Katherine (1 March 2011). "LSE investigates Gaddafi's son plagiarism claims". BBC News. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
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