Libya can still count on a few allies Skip to main content

Libya can still count on a few allies

Old friends: Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez (left) meets Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in a tent in Tripoli, 2004.
Old friends: Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez (left) meets Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in a tent in Tripoli, 2004.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Gadhafi's overseas backing is based on a shared anti-colonial narrative, say analysts
  • Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez says Gadhafi, "has been my friend for a long time"
  • China, Russia and Turkey would not support an invasion or no-fly zone, says analyst
(CNN) -- Despite facing intense pressure from parts of the international community to relinquish power, the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi can still count on the continued support of some prominent world leaders, say analysts.
Much of Gadhafi's overseas backing is based on a shared anti-colonial narrative and the instincts of some regimes to undermine the norms of the international community, experts believe.
So while many countries have criticized Gadhafi in the aftermath of protests that have left more than 1,000 people dead and many more injured, according to the U.N., some of his allies, including Venezuela and Zimbabwe, refuse to publicly criticize Libya.
"There is a natural alignment between all regimes which are into power maximization, that is, regimes trying to accumulate as much power as they can for themselves," says Barak Seener, a Middle East research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.
Who is the opposition in Libya?
Gadhafi's claims debunked
Libyan doctor speaks out
RELATED TOPICS
"Venezuela, for example, also has close links with Iran," added Seener.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called for an international good will commission to mediate in Libya; in contrast the U.N. Security Council over the weekend voted for tough restrictions and possible war crimes charges against the Libyan regime.
On Monday, Chavez said Gadhafi, "has been my friend and our friend for a long time," in remarks broadcast on Venezuelan state television.
And in comments made on Thursday, Chavez described alleged preparations to invade Libya as "a madness, and in front of that madness, as always, the Yankee empire that tries to dominate the world, at the cost of fire and blood."
The former Cuban President Fidel Castro on Thursday also condemned what he described as the inevitable U.S.-backed invasion of Libya by NATO to get its hands on that country's oil.
Seener said that countries with a record of "domestic abuse," such as limiting freedom of speech and having no independent judiciary, have no sense of accountability to their people in the same way that elected powers do and that lack of perceived accountability tends to spill over into their foreign polices.
Another close allay of Gadhafi is Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. Libya has pumped millions of dollars into Zimbabwe, which already has few international friends, says Jane Kinninmont, senior research fellow at the think tank Chatham House.
"There is not a great incentive (among the international community) to back Gadhafi as not many would bet on him retaining power... but while some countries have done a diplomatic turnaround, Mugabe is unlikely to do so," Kinninmont says.
She adds that, for example, during the bloody ethnic conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur, Sudan faced international condemnation but "did still have its friends in the international world."
There is also a second group of nations -- including China, Russia and Turkey -- which while unlikely to openly back Gadhafi, would not support an invasion and they would also be against a no-fly zone, said Seener.
"It is not simply a case of being anti-Western. Turkey for example is increasing diplomatic and economic links with Iran and as it does so it is entering the Iranian sphere of influence. They will not condemn what Gadhafi is doing in Libya," says Seener.
Despite the continued backing of Gadhafi by his allies, some analysts predict a sorry end for the leader.
Scott Horton, an international lawyer said: "Deposed dictators now are subject to lawsuits, both civil suits by the governments that succeeded them and human rights suits, and they wind up being prosecuted and successfully sued."
However, Barak Barfi of the New America Foundation said: "I think there is a very good possibility he'll fight to the death knowing he has very few options."

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/04/libya.allies/index.html

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f