It occurred to me today that there were parallels between the Gaddafi legend and what I remember of the story of Paul Muad’dib in Frank Herbert’s novels, Dune and Dune Messiah. Wondering if this thought had occurred to anyone else I googled ‘Muad’dib and Gaddafi’ and sure enough others had made the connection (the Internet is truly amazing ), someone had even gone to the trouble of making a video:

 

!!! Muad’Dib Al Gaddafi !!! from UN_ilateral on Vimeo.

 

There several others videos that present this picture of the supposed madman as a visionary hero:

 

 

 

 

Compare that with this video:

 

 

It seem beyond dispute that the NATO intervention was at best wrong headed and disproportionate in its violence and at worst a cynical and murderous corporate takeover. What is problematic however is the matter of Gaddafi’s legends and legacy. There are two competing pictures, one of Gaddafi as a kind of James Bond villain and another of him as a near Messiah. The truth may lie in some complex interweaving of the legends but which legend becomes established is important because it will have totemic value for those who are for and those who are against the US strategy for ‘full spectrum dominance‘ and the establishment of a world corporate state.

James Fetzer has written an interesting article, Reason and Rationality in Public Debate: The Case of Libya, which sets the stage for a rational assessment of Gaddafi’s legends and legacy.

Related Links:

History of Libya under Gaddafi