Passport

Department of unwanted endorsements

Brown Lloyd James,  a PR agency that represents the Libyan government, just sent out a press release about Muammar Qaddafi’s speech via satellite to students at the London School of Economics today. (Incidentally, his son Saif is in LSE grad.) Qaddafi has some surprisingly positive things to say about President Obama: Commenting on Libyan-American relations, ...

561035_103704596_02.jpg
561035_103704596_02.jpg

Brown Lloyd James,  a PR agency that represents the Libyan government, just sent out a press release about Muammar Qaddafi's speech via satellite to students at the London School of Economics today. (Incidentally, his son Saif is in LSE grad.) Qaddafi has some surprisingly positive things to say about President Obama:

Commenting on Libyan-American relations, Mr. Gaddafi denounced the United States international adventurism in recent years and the war in Iraq, but added that he believes America had changed since the election of Barack Obama as President.  "He doesn’t want to maintain American colonialism in Iraq or Afghanistan," the Libyan Leader said.  "Now America is wise and reasonable and I support Obama—I hope he stays for 8 years."

Don't think we'll be seeing that one in a 2012 campaign ad. I also wonder if Qaddafi might be trying to do some damage control after a WikiLeaked U.S. cable described his eccentric behavior, particularly a flip-out at this treatment while attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month. 

Brown Lloyd James,  a PR agency that represents the Libyan government, just sent out a press release about Muammar Qaddafi’s speech via satellite to students at the London School of Economics today. (Incidentally, his son Saif is in LSE grad.) Qaddafi has some surprisingly positive things to say about President Obama:

Commenting on Libyan-American relations, Mr. Gaddafi denounced the United States international adventurism in recent years and the war in Iraq, but added that he believes America had changed since the election of Barack Obama as President.  "He doesn’t want to maintain American colonialism in Iraq or Afghanistan," the Libyan Leader said.  "Now America is wise and reasonable and I support Obama—I hope he stays for 8 years."

Don’t think we’ll be seeing that one in a 2012 campaign ad. I also wonder if Qaddafi might be trying to do some damage control after a WikiLeaked U.S. cable described his eccentric behavior, particularly a flip-out at this treatment while attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy  Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: Middle East and North Africa

Trending

  1. 1
    What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
  2. 2
    Roe Abolition Makes U.S. a Global Outlier
  3. 3
    From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology
  4. 4
    Will the Kaliningrad Crisis Lead to War?
  5. 5
    Europe on the Edges
Latest Analysis

Here’s How to Help Ukraine Handle Putin’s Food Blockade
Daniel B. Baer, Oleksandra Betliy

U.S. Aid to Saudi Arabia on Missile Defense Is Not Unconditional 
Bilal Y. Saab

Europe on the Edges
Robert D. Kaplan

More from Foreign Policy

A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.
A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.

Why Do People Hate Realism So Much?

The school of thought doesn’t explain everything—but its proponents foresaw the potential for conflict over Ukraine long before it erupted.

Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.
Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.

China’s Crisis of Confidence

What if, instead of being a competitor, China can no longer afford to compete at all?

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.

Why This Global Economic Crisis Is Different

This is the first time since World War II that there may be no cooperative way out.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.

China Is Hardening Itself for Economic War

Beijing is trying to close economic vulnerabilities out of fear of U.S. containment.

Trending

  1. What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
    Analysis |
    Amy Mackinnon

  2. Roe Abolition Makes U.S. a Global Outlier
    Infographic |
    FP Staff

  3. From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology
    Analysis |
    Volodymyr Yermolenko

  4. Will the Kaliningrad Crisis Lead to War?
    It's Debatable |
    Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig

  5. Europe on the Edges
    Argument |
    Robert D. Kaplan
Latest

Who Managed COVID-19 Best, and Why?

Race to the Bottom: Deep Sea Mining Is the Next Frontier

Does Kyiv Need a Marshall Plan?

From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology

Nepal’s Big EV Bet
See All Stories