In a striking moment at the Arab League Summit in Damascus in 2008, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi stunned attendees by referencing the execution of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. Holding up a graphic image of Saddam’s final moments, Gaddafi issued a chilling warning to his fellow Arab leaders:
“The gallows await us all if we don’t unite against foreign interventions.”
His stark message, though controversial, underscored his belief that divisions within the Arab world left its leaders vulnerable to external forces.
Sixteen years later, his words resonate with historical irony. Gaddafi himself met a tragic end in 2011, deposed and killed during Libya’s uprising, a stark reminder of the precariousness of power in a fractured region.
This archive discovery serves as a poignant reflection on the region’s tumultuous past and the enduring call for unity.
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