Madman Gaddafi´s son Saif was thought to be a reformer and a friend of the West. Tony Blair, who once described him as a "family friend", must be quite disappointed:
In recent years, Gadhafi's son has been an important link between the two governments. He owns a house in London, is in his mid-30s and studied for a Ph.D. at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 2003 until 2008. He was regarded as a friend as the West and as a reformer, and he moved in the highest circles in London. His contacts included Prince Andrew, Britain's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, and former Economy Minister Peter Mandelson. Blair even called Gadhafi junior a "family friend."
But Saif al-Islam seems to have turned radical in response to the uprising. London observers could hardly believe their ears when he declared in a speech on Sunday that the Gadhafis would fight "to the last bullet." The LSE responded by saying it would return a major donation by the Gadhafi Foundation. Saif's former academic advisor at the LSE, the well-known politics professor David Held, said he was "appalled" by the speech, and that his former student had become "the enemy of ideals he once proclaimed."
Read the entire article in Der Spiegel here.
Meanwhile, the slaughtering of protesters goes on in Libya, and the West seems to be unable to produce anything else than condemnating declarations. Der Spiegel asks: The question now is how long Gadhafi can keep on waging war against his people.
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