Can someone explain to me why when

[Zywiec]

Saddam Hussein and his sons had the chance to leave Iraq with billions of dollars they stayed

and Mohammar Quadaffi and his sons could have left Libya with the same amount of money, they stayed.

Not to mention Mubarak.

What the fuck are they thinking?


I would have been gone with the cash!

Sorry, just wondering...

[emilyg]

1. Just a guess - maybe they

thought the people loved them and no harm woul come to them. Huge egos.

[BlueCaliDem]

2. I believe it's because they had no place to go. The countries around them

didn't want them, either.

They weren't liked by their neighbors.

But I do believe had they had the chance, they would've loved to leave. I mean, you don't go choosing to hide in spider or drain holes if you've got somewhere more comfortable to go, right?

[SheilaT]

3. There's no real way of knowing what they were thinking,

but I'm guessing it was a combination of not ever imagining that the people of Libya would turn against them that way, along with possibly no where to go.

Hmmm. Imagine a Witness Protection Program for deposed dictators.

[saras]

6. You mean kind of like Operation Paperclip? Or more like Argentina?

[Still Sensible]

4. Hubris. n/t

[izquierdista]

5. It's so last century

Idi Amin, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Mobutu Sese Seko, Anastasio Somoza (well, until he got whacked, I guess the Paraguayans weren't looking out for him too well).

[customerserviceguy]

7. When you spend decades believing your own cult of personality

You don't know when to cut and run until it's way too late.

[OHdem10]

8. Could it be Cultural Beliefs and Practices. There is a lot of

talk of Martyrdom. Could they perceive it more honorable
to go down fighting than to live in exile. In both Hussein
and Ghadafy's cases they made sure their families were
out of the country and safe early on. They certainly
had opportunities to leave but chose to stay and fight.
Their sons remained with them. This is why I wonder
if it some honor practice.