Who are the Qaddafi supporters?

[gateley]

Are they parts of the citizenry who genuinely believe he has been a good leader and have benefited from his leadership?

Are they military who genuinely believe in him, or military who want to keep getting their paychecks?

Are they hired militia?

I honestly don't know - have asked a couple of times but have gotten no responses, so just giving it another shot.

Thanks.

[tabatha]

1. He shipped in a lot of fighters from other countries.

[gateley]

6. Figures. Thanks. nt

[meow mix]

2. "She was the devil in the form of a woman"

When Colonel Muammar Gaddafi hanged his first political opponent in Benghazi's basketball stadium, thousands of schoolchildren and students were rounded up to watch a carefully choreographed, sadistic display of the regime's version of justice.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/devil+form+woman/4393517/story.html

[silver10]

13. Sounds like what Saddam used to do too

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. The answer to that is that they're people who've benefited from his rule...

by getting government jobs, military command, etc, and to that must also be added a certain element of tribal/clan loyalty; Gaddafi's rule has been good for the members of his own tribe and their allies in the region around Tripoli, not soo good for those in the eastern part of Libya. The same elements of tribal/clan loyalty can be seen in the history of places like Afghanistan and, in the West, in the Scottish border country up until the 16th century.

[gateley]

8. Thanks. Makes sense -- I think even in Egypt those who supporting

Mubarak (besides those he paid to "protest") were those who had benefited handsomely and felt life was just fine.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Just guessing, I'd say 90% his tribal background, 10% true believers.

Paid mercenaries are not 'supporters'.

[gateley]

5. I understand that mercenaries are not true supporters, but the regime

would paint them as such, I think. Didn't they do that in Egypt?

[joshcryer]

7. I think meow mix hit it, it's usually loyalists who get kickbacks for becoming tyrants.

Bootlickers. Of course they don't want Gaddafi to go, they've been endowed with wealth at the forsaking of the east.

[deaniac21]

9. Louis Farrakhan is a good friend

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/louis-farrakhan-libyas-ga_n_829024.html

[Old and In the Way]

10. Every leader has them.

Sometimes they're bought or enjoy favored status within the society. Sometimes they're just true believers of their leader's infallibility. I saw a clip of a Gaddahfi rally in a small auditorium...they looked almost cult-like in their devotion. Reminded me of a Sarah Palin book signing event.

[gateley]

15. "...Sarah Palin book signing event.."

:rofl:

But it paints a very accurate picture! :hi:

[CommonSensePLZ]

11. I suspect they're just people they just paid to say they love them. ~nt

[grahamhgreen]

12. I don't know. Who are the mercenaries? Is Blackwater/XE involved.

[gateley]

16. Good question - they DO seem to be involved everywhere. nt

[Iterate]

14. About 10% of the population

by a couple of estimates I've see or made over time. Sorry I don't have sources for it yet, but I'm still looking and am getting cross-eyed.

Of adults, that may be in the range of 250-500,000 people or so out of ~6,400,000 total.

That includes a still loyal tribe, most of the military and security infrastructure (substantial), high-level government officials and dependents, most members of the hand-picked congress, some business interests, plus the expected assortment of thugs, ultra-conservatives, and true believers.

It's almost impossible to get a handle on it because the very fabric, the nature of social relationships that would allow someone to study and understand it has been completely turned on its head over the past 42 years. All social groups are banned, outside of the mosque and the family. All of them. Not even an chess club, because it might be used as a source of subversion.

Loyalty is purchased or intimidated. That's what makes it so different from Egypt or Tunisia, where you could look at the affinity groups and have an idea of what was going on. And unlike Egypt where support was peeled away one layer at a time, that's probably why in Libya such a large portion of the population bailed at the same time once they saw a way out.

With Egypt you could see strong unions, and business interests often owned by generals; you could count them. When the unions bailed, you knew the business interests (and generals) would soon follow.

But Gadaffi has taken the oil money, expropriated it, and used it to buy loyalty. Since you can't get hold of his books, you don't know how many he's paid or who they might be.

He's covered all this crime family business with the patois of socialism, the appeal of anti-Americanism or even delusions of persecution, really an endless manipulation of social perceptions, many of them written up in the much hated green book. After he finished writing it, he mandated that all school vacations be canceled so that it could be taught to, and memorized by, all children.

Hence the true believers, as well as those who hated it. And you just can't count them. In fact, they'd be at risk if they dared even tell you what they thought. No polls in Libya, no.

[gateley]

18. VERY interesting -- thanks! nt

[Arkana]

17. The guys who are paid lots of money to kill the rebels

and who think that if he somehow prevails they'll be rewarded.

[backscatter712]

19. Right-Wing Authoritarians - form roughly 30% of every society. Essentially Libyan Teabaggers. n/t