Disheveled Gadhafi Pledges to Retain Power

Rambling Speech Cites Waco as Precedent for Massacres

Speaking today from what appeared to be a crumbling bunker, long-time Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi pledged to do whatever is necessary to retain power, while insisting that he would die a martyr in fighting to retain his rule.

What followed was a rambling speech touching on several subjects, but which mostly was a combination of defense for the massive number of civilians massacred by the regime over the past few days, and threats to kill large numbers of additional people if they didn’t agree to his continued control over the nation.

Incredibly, Gadhafi also appeared to appeal to the international community for support in his continued brutality, citing the 1993 Waco Massacre and the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre as precedent for his mass killing of public protesters.

The speech harkened back to the defiant final speech of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak before his eventual ouster, and indeed it appears that the Gadhafi regime is on its last legs. Though they continue to have enough support in the military to continue killing people, it appears to be far short of what would be needed to cement their hold over the country.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.