Gaddafi says fear drives world economic system (Reuters)

[Up2Late]

(Has anyone else nowticed how all these so-called "Crazy Dictators" seem down right reasonable these days, when compaired to our so-called "president" and the rest of the Bush Cabal? This seem especially true when they are covered outside the American "news" filter too.)

Gaddafi says fear drives world economic system

Fri Mar 2, 2007 6:00pm ET143

By William Maclean

SEBHA, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi criticized the world financial system as a dictatorship based on fear on Friday but said Libya's only pragmatic choice after sanctions was to accept the unfair reality of world trade.

Speaking in a rare public debate with Western scholars, Gaddafi added Libya, whose press is state controlled, accepted the Internet and international satellite television because it showed Libyans what he called the weakness of Western democracy.

"The prevailing powers today are in the hands of those who have economic and military power which puts fear in others. They can make you starve. They can close the doors for your exports of raw materials such as coffee or oil," Gaddafi said.

"This is an international dictatorship that is being practiced against people, especially poor people," he said of conditions imposed by Western aid donors on poor countries. "Those who threaten you with military power or with the (U.N.) Security Council are the people who are controlling the world and if you go against the tide you might be destroyed."

(more at link) <http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-03-03T063604Z_01_L02180586_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIBYA-GADDAFI.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L3-International+NewsNews-2>

[On the Road]

1. Ghaddafi's Green Book is Pretty Interesting

He starts out by ridiculing Western practices of democracy and argues that they do not keep their promise of having decisionmaking power rest with the people. He then promotes his own political model, which is based on neighborhood councils that choose representatives to higher councils.

I don't know if his method is any better, but it's not a stupid argument.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Book
http://www.mathaba.net/gci/theory/gb.htm

[Dover]

2. Sounds downright matriarchal. I'd say insecurity is what leads to the fear

and an inability at the elite levels to adapt to a shift in values beyond commodification of every living and manmade thing.

If we shift our values (which is, in part, at the root of and driving the trend toward socialism/populism even as our global consciousness increases), then societal infrastructure will follow. It has to happen in that order rather than the other way around. Our environment is a reflection of our values and if that is in conflict (as elites refuse this value shift and want to maintain and impose their own values), then there WILL be deepening discontent and revolution.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Same as it ever was....