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Saif Qaddafi and Me

 

On the ethics of helping a despotic government

With the capture of Saif al-islam Gaddaffi [1], it is a good time to reflect on the ethics of those who assisted the repressive regime of Libya and enabled it to stay in power. Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard University penned his thoughts earlier this year. It first appeared in Project Syndicate [2] and was reprinted at Al Jazeera English.

 

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Saif Qaddafi and Me [4]

Dani Rodrik  

CAMBRIDGE – Not long ago, a Harvard colleague wrote to me that Saif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, a son of Libya’s dictator, would be in town and wanted to meet me. He is an interesting fellow, my colleague said, with a doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); I would enjoy talking to him, and I might be able to help his thinking on economic matters.

The meeting, as it turned out, was a letdown. I was first briefed by a former Monitor Company employee, who gently intimated that I should not to expect too much. Saif himself held photocopies of pages from one of my books on which he had scribbled notes. He asked me several questions – about the role of international NGOs, as I recall – that seemed fairly distant from my areas of expertise. I don’t imagine he was much impressed by me; nor was I much taken by him. As the meeting ended, Saif invited me to Libya and I said – more out of politeness than anything else – that I would be happy to come.

Saif never followed up; nor did I. But if a real invitation had come, would I have traveled to Libya, spent time with him, and possibly met his father and his cronies? Would I have been tempted by arguments such as: “We are trying to develop our economy, and you can really help us with your knowledge?” … Read More [4]