by Lyubov Podgornaya
Rossiyskaya Gazeta –Government Daily Newspaper
Rogachev: Approximately 10 thousand foreign fighters in Syria come from The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). “Approximately 10 thousand foreign fighters in Syria are from CIS countries. Half of them had Russian citizenship and the rest came from Central Asia,” said Ilya Rogachev, Russian foreign ministry’s official for new threats and challenges. Rogachev stated that their return is the real threat for Russia and former Soviet Republics because they have wide connections with terrorists and have participated in sabotage operations.
Izvestia – Broadsheet Newspaper
US State Department: America will continue to work with Russia to help resolve the crisis in Syria. RIA Novosti news agency quoted a statement made by Heather Nuaert on CNN, “Russia interfered in the elections process in the USA which is not acceptable, but we will continue to collaborate with Moscow in areas where we have similar interests, such as the situation in Syria,”
Argumenty i Fakty – Government Weekly Newspaper
While the West continues to impose sanctions against Russia, the East is developing and strengthening links with the country. “Political instability brings Russia and Turkey closer to each other,” said Recep Emanet, Sales Director at Turkish Airline Atlas Global believes. “It is difficult to separate business from politics but we have many years of friendly relations with Russia. At present Russia is one of Turkey’s most important partners, trade turnover between Russia and Turkey has reached $ ١٠٠ billion. We see the potential that is why we are investing in the Russian market. ٢٢٪ of tourists to Turkey in the first ٧ months of this year came from Russia”
Argumenty i Fakty – Government Weekly Newspaper
Was Muammar Gaddafi Insane?
The Two Sides of the Libyan Leader
by Vladimir Kozhemyakin
133th September is one of the probable birth dates of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi. If this is true, he would have turned 75 this year. But who was he really: a terrorist, a dictator or a leader who brought prosperity to his country?Gaddafi became the leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 at the age of 27 after leading a military coup. A charismatic Bedouin belonging to the nomadic tribe, Gaddafi succeeded in changing ‘semi-colonial’ Libya, transforming one of the most under developed countries in into one of the richest in the region. Before Gaddafi took power, local oil fields were being actively developed by American companies. For the first 4 years of Gaddaffi’s rule, all oil companies were nationalized and profits went towards the country’s development. In Libya, ٠ percent interest loans were given for buying flats and cars, newly married couples received subsidies and large families with young children could shop at special stores selling food at low prices. Education, medical services and electricity were free, and young Libyans were given government scholarships to study abroad. People from all over Africa began migrating to Libya.
The Gaddafi era can be described with numbers: gross domestic product grew to $ 14,192 per capita, the average starting salary was around $100 and unemployment benefit was $700-800. Families with new born babies were given a $7000 bursary and newlyweds were given $64000 dollars by the government. The government paid 50% towards the purchase of a car. Twenty thousand km of roads, artificial rivers providing water in the deserts and oil refineries were built.
However, on the morning of 20 October 2011 Muammar Gaddafi was captured, brutally tortured and killed by Islamists. Upon the ruins of his regime a civil “war of all against all” began and thousands of people were killed. As a result, radical Sunni Islamists came to power and governed Libya by Sharia law. They failed to establish a police force and an army and created a double-power situation in the country: in the west of Tripoli there were executive and legal authorities reporting to Islamists and in the East, a government and parliament. In the meantime, ISIS fighters conquered the oil rich North of the country. Today, almost ٦ years after Gaddafi’s death, Libya is beset by chaos with several armed groups scrambling for power while nominal authorities fail to control the situation in most of the country. Consequently, the country has become a hotbed of mercenaries, terrorists and smugglers. Only a quarter of all oil fields are in use and control over them is being transferred from one armed faction to another. The reality in Libya today is a dramatic drop in living standards, inflation, an almost destroyed economy and armed groups clashing over what’s remaining of Gaddafi’s era. Where does the long-suffering Libya go from here? We asked this question to Elena Suponina, a Middle East expert at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies.
So, who was Gaddafi? Was he a terrorist and a cruel and corrupt dictator as the West claims or someone who turned Libya into one of the most developed and richest countries of the East?
No doubt Gaddafi had a bright and charismatic personality. I managed to meet him a few times during his visits to Moscow and during President Putin’s first visit to Tripoli 9 years ago. In person, Muammar Gaddaffi left an ineligible impression. He behaved not only as a politician but as an authentic leader, a strong person, somewhat inclined to artistry, which, incidentally, only added to his charm. To rule a country such as Libya for more than ٤٠ years – this requires more than just talent. It is essential to have almost savage political instinct and strategic vision. It’s no secret that he was extravagant. Western psychologists who worked for the secret services and studied Gaddafi’s psychological portrait revealed some of their findings, some of which were not very pleasant. For example, the well-known American journalist Bob Woodward said that even during the Soviet era, when Gaddafi had Moscow’s support, the CIA came to the conclusion that Libya’s leader suffered from a psychiatric disorder. There were signs that he had schizophrenia, “Gaddafi has two halves, both of them insane,” the Americans claimed. However, this could be a part of a political game aimed at worsening Gaddafi’s image. His western opponents were actively using such methods. But even opponents of Gaddafi admit that as a result of him being in power Libya left poverty behind. It was a stable county and its citizens’ financial conditions improved.
Did he give you the impression that he was insane?
Muammar Gaddafi will remembered for a long time. Perhaps it is because of his strong energy. I did not notice any insanity. In order to understand Gaddafi’s personality one should remember that he came from a family of Bedouins. He was the only child out of six to get an education. His parents didn’t have enough money to educate his siblings. Gaddafi rose out of a poor family at a young age, he was barely 30 when took the risk of attempting a revolution against King Idris and managed to stay in power for a long time. I wanted Gaddafi to sign a copy of his "Green Book” in which he theorized about social injustice and the future, not only of Libya, but of the whole world. Gaddafi could see this desire and he singled me out of the crowd and picturesquely, he signed the book. The artistry with which he did it was evident. Artistry, the desire to please the public, to make an impression, appeared in him sometimes even excessively. But he was completely in control of himself.
What happened in Libya after the overthrow of Gaddafi? Who is in control?
I attended the Contact Group for Libya’s first meeting after Gaddafi’s death in Doha, Qatar’s capital. The members at the meeting - representatives of NATO and the Middle East allies that participated in the military operation that overthrew the Libyan leader looked lost and did not know what to do next. It looked strange to me and very dangerous. People who in March 2011 decided to start the war in Libya had not the slightest idea what to do next and how to provide for the safety of the country. There was a feeling that they wanted to wash their hands of the responsibility of the recovery of Libya and put it into someone else's. Libya still has numerous problems: poverty, unemployment, and most importantly - political instability and the presence of multiple armed groups including terrorist groups. Even those groups claiming power and officially communicating with foreign politicians cannot come to an agreement with each other. One of the representatives of Libya, Vice Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq, is currently in Moscow. Moscow communicates with the government headed by Faiz Sarage as well but it is very weak and almost has no control over the situation. Our country has relations with a strong general, Khalifa Haftar. However, none of these leaders are able to take the situation under control and the creation of a coalition is moving ahead very slowly. This means that chaos will remain in Libya. This will present a threat not only to Libyans but to the rest of the world as chaos is the source of terrorism and for Europe it means unwanted migrants as well. In Gaddafi’s era Libya was a kind of police cordon for crowds of migrants from Africa to Europe. Now this cordon has been destroyed.
Who can Russia rely on now in Libya? What interests do we have there?
It would be wrong to back just one figure. We need to have relations with general Khaftar and other Libyan leaders who have influence. The main thing is to support them to come to an agreement with each other and create a united national government. Only this way can some kind of stability be achieved in this country. But we should understand that it will not happen soon. For Russia, Libya is interesting not only from the point of view of security, but economic cooperation as well. A destroyed country will need investments, railways, development of oil facilities, armaments. But for all of this to happen it is necessary to establish order.
There is an opinion that Libya as a country no longer exists. Instead there is a wild field divided between armed gangs.
There are areas where large armed groups are trying to establish a kind of order but it does not look like a “country” in the usual sense of the word. However, the further destruction of Libya is even more dangerous for the world’s safety.
