Muammar Gaddafi

Although he holds no public office, he is accorded the title "Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Arab Libyan Popular and Socialist Republic."

Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi ( audio Mu‘ammar al-Qaḏḏāfī ; also known simply as Colonel Gaddafi ; born 1942) has been the dictator of Libya since a coup in 1969. From 1972, when Gaddafi relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics "Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya " or "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution" in government statements and the official press. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the fourth longest serving of all current national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Ali Pasha Al Karamanli , who ruled between 1754 and 1795. " "National Geographic article about Libya" " .

Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi ( ; / ˈ m oʊ . ə m ɑːr ɡ ə ˈ d ɑː f i / ; audio ; c. 1942 – 20 October 2011), commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi , was a Libyan revolutionary and politician who governed Libya as its primary leader from 1969 to 2011. Taking power in a coup d'etat, he ruled as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the " Brotherly Leader " of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011, when he was ousted in the Libyan Civil War . Initially developing his own variant of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism known as the Third International Theory , he later embraced Pan-Africanism and served as Chairperson of the African Union from 2009 to 2010. The son of an impoverished Bedouin goat herder, Gaddafi became involved in politics while at school in Sabha , subsequently enrolling in the Royal Military Academy, Benghazi . Founding a revolutionary cell within the military, in 1969 they seized power from the monarchy of King Idris in a bloodless coup . Becoming Chairman of the governing Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), Gaddafi abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the Republic. Ruling by decree , he implemented measures to remove what he viewed as foreign imperialist influence from Libya, and strengthened ties to Arab nationalist governments. Intent on pushing Libya towards " Islamic socialism ", he introduced sharia as the basis for the legal system and nationalized the oil industry, using the increased revenues to bolster the military, implement social programs and fund revolutionary militants across the world. In 1973 he initiated a "Popular Revolution" with the formation of General People's Committees (GPCs), purported to be a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions. He outlined his Third International Theory that year, publishing these ideas in The Green Book . In 1977, he dissolved the Republic and created the Jamahiriya , a "state of the masses" part-governed by GPCs. Officially adopting a symbolic role in governance, he retained power as military commander-in-chief and head of the Revolutionary Committees responsible for policing and suppressing opponents. Overseeing unsuccessful border conflicts with Egypt and Chad, Gaddafi's support for foreign militants and alleged responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing led to Libya's label of "international pariah". A particularly hostile relationship developed with the United States and United Kingdom, resulting in the 1986 U.S. bombing of Libya and United Nations -imposed economic sanctions. Rejecting his earlier ideological commitments, from 1999 Gaddafi encouraged economic privatization and sought rapprochement with Western nations, also embracing Pan-Africanism and helping to establish the African Union. Amid the Arab Spring , in 2011 an anti-Gaddafist uprising led by the National Transitional Council (NTC) broke out, resulting in civil war. NATO intervened militarily on the side of the NTC, bringing about the government's downfall. Retreating to Sirte , Gaddafi was captured and killed by NTC militants. Gaddafi was a controversial and highly divisive world figure. Supporters lauded his anti-imperialist stance and his support for Pan-Africanism and Pan-Arabism , and he was decorated with various awards. Conversely, he was internationally condemned as a dictator and autocrat whose authoritarian administration violated the human rights of Libyan citizens , and supported irredentist movements, tribal warfare and terrorism in many other nations. Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi and Abdullah al-Senussi" . International Criminal Court . 11 November 2011 . The Straight Dope. 1986 . Hardball With Chris Matthews . The Daily Beast. 1 March 2011 . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Libyan revolutionary, politician and political theorist "Gaddafi" redirects here. Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi ( c. 1942 – 20 October 2011), commonly known as Colonel Gaddafi , was a Libyan revolutionary , politician and political theorist . He governed Libya as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then as the " Brotherly Leader " of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. He was initially ideologically committed to Arab nationalism and Arab socialism but later ruled according to his own Third International Theory . Born near Sirte , Italian Libya , to a poor Bedouin family, Gaddafi became an Arab nationalist while at school in Sabha , later enrolling in the Royal Military Academy, Benghazi . Within the military, he founded a revolutionary group which deposed the Western-backed Senussi monarchy of Idris in a 1969 coup . Having taken power, Gaddafi converted Libya into a republic governed by his Revolutionary Command Council . Ruling by decree , he deported Libya's Italian and Jewish population and ejected its Western military bases. Strengthening ties to Arab nationalist governments—particularly Gamal Abdel Nasser 's Egypt—he unsuccessfully advocated pan-Arab political union . An Islamic modernist , he introduced sharia as the basis for the legal system and promoted " Islamic socialism ". He nationalized the oil industry and used the increasing state revenues to bolster the military, fund foreign revolutionaries, and implement social programs emphasizing house-building, healthcare and education projects. In 1973, he initiated a " Popular Revolution " with the formation of Basic People's Congresses , presented as a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions. He outlined his Third International Theory that year in The Green Book . Gaddafi transformed Libya into a new socialist state called a Jamahiriya ("state of the masses") in 1977. He officially adopted a symbolic role in governance but remained head of both the military and the Revolutionary Committees responsible for policing and suppressing dissent. During the 1970s and 1980s, Libya's unsuccessful border conflicts with Egypt and Chad , support for foreign militants, and alleged responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing in Scotland left it increasingly isolated on the world stage. A particularly hostile relationship developed with the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel, resulting in the 1986 US bombing of Libya and United Nations–imposed economic sanctions . From 1999, Gaddafi shunned Arab socialism and encouraged economic privatization , rapprochement with Western nations , and pan-Africanism ; he was Chairperson of the African Union from 2009 to 2010. Amid the 2011 Arab Spring , protests against widespread corruption and unemployment broke out in eastern Libya. The situation descended into civil war , in which NATO intervened militarily on the side of the anti-Gaddafist National Transitional Council (NTC). The government was overthrown, and Gaddafi retreated to Sirte, only to be captured and killed by NTC militants. A highly divisive figure, Gaddafi dominated Libya's politics for four decades and was the subject of a pervasive cult of personality . He was decorated with various awards and praised for his anti-imperialist stance, support for Arab—and then African—unity, and for significant improvements that his government brought to the Libyan people's quality of life. Conversely, many Libyans strongly opposed his social and economic reforms, and he was posthumously accused of sexual abuse. He was condemned by many as a dictator whose authoritarian administration violated human rights and financed global terrorism . The Straight Dope . 1986. Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Leader of Libya from 1969 to 2011 "Gaddafi" redirects here. He came to power through a military coup , first becoming Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the Brotherly Leader of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. Initially ideologically committed to Arab nationalism and Arab socialism , Gaddafi later ruled according to his own Third International Theory . Born near Sirte , Italian Libya , to a poor Bedouin Arab family, Gaddafi became an Arab nationalist while at school in Sabha , later enrolling in the Royal Military Academy, Benghazi . He founded a revolutionary group known as the Free Officers movement which deposed the Western -backed Senussi monarchy of Idris in a 1969 coup . Gaddafi converted Libya into a republic governed by his Revolutionary Command Council . Ruling by decree , he deported Libya's Italian population and ejected its Western military bases. He strengthened ties to Arab nationalist governments and unsuccessfully advocated pan-Arab political union . An Islamic modernist , he introduced sharia as the basis for the legal system and promoted Islamic socialism . He nationalized the oil industry and used the increasing state revenues to bolster the military, fund foreign revolutionaries , and implement social programs emphasizing housebuilding, healthcare and education projects. In 1973, he initiated a " Popular Revolution " with the formation of Basic People's Congresses , presented as a system of direct democracy , but retained personal control over major decisions. He outlined his Third International Theory that year in The Green Book . In 1977, Gaddafi transformed Libya into a new socialist state called a Jamahiriya ("state of the masses"). He officially adopted a symbolic role in governance but remained head of both the military and the Revolutionary Committees responsible for policing and suppressing dissent. During the 1970s and 1980s, Libya's unsuccessful border conflicts with Egypt and Chad , support for foreign militants, and alleged responsibility for bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772 left it increasingly isolated on the world stage. A particularly hostile relationship developed with Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom, resulting in the 1986 U.S. bombing of Libya and United Nations–imposed economic sanctions. From 1999, Gaddafi shunned pan-Arabism, and encouraged pan-Africanism and rapprochement with Western nations ; he was Chairperson of the African Union from 2009 to 2010. Amid the 2011 Arab Spring , protests against widespread corruption and unemployment broke out in eastern Libya. The situation descended into civil war , in which NATO intervened militarily on the side of the anti-Gaddafist National Transitional Council (NTC). Gaddafi's government was overthrown; he retreated to Sirte only to be captured, tortured and killed by NTC militants. A highly divisive figure, Gaddafi dominated Libya's politics for four decades and was the subject of a pervasive cult of personality . He was decorated with various awards and praised for his anti-imperialist stance, support for Arab—and then African—unity, as well as for significant development to the country following the discovery of oil reserves. Conversely, many Libyans strongly opposed Gaddafi's social and economic reforms; he was accused of various human rights violations. He was condemned by many as a dictator whose authoritarian administration systematically violated human rights and financed global terrorism in the region and abroad. Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics . The Straight Dope . 1986. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).