World news recap

Col. Gaddafi of Libya and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are two of the most powerful leaders in the world today. They have influenced each other in their viewpoints and politics, as well as in Gaddafi’s plan of action for Libya. Their relationship has been one to which close attention has been paid, especially during the past month of extreme violence in Libya.

Within weeks, Libya has gone from being a nation of relative peace and prosperity to a war-torn nation whose government ceases to protect and instead destroys. Gaddafi has been a tyrant to his nation, a power-hungry fiend who has fed on the lives of innocent protesters, fighting for the freedom they deserve. Yet throughout Gaddafi’s reign of terror, Chavez has given him his full support. He has even gone as far as to say, “Reports that Gaddafi bombed Tripoli and attacked civilians were lies hatched up by the media.”

According to Juan Forero, writer for NPR, “…He [Chavez] warned that the United States — 'the Empire,' as he calls it — was about to invade to seize Libya's oil. He took the stand with his alliance of small leftist countries, including Nicaragua and Cuba. 'We demand the United States respect the people of Libya,' Chavez said. 'No to the imperialist intervention of Libya. No to an imperialist war for oil.' Chavez also said Gaddafi would never turn and run — that he is going to stay and die fighting if he has to.”
 
The relationship built between Gaddafi and Chavez runs deep. According to Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., “There's a common bond of anti-U.S. sentiment. There is this sense of standing up to the superpower, which is the United States, and that has created some sort of solidarity.”

It is apparent that both Gaddafi and Chavez intend to work together to further their cause, which, so far, has resulted in the death of thousands of civilian protesters. Hopefully, Chavez will withdraw his support of this tyrant and learn a lesson from the scorn Gaddafi has received from the rest of the world for his atrocious actions.

By: Anne Lehan