Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi knows how to pull the strings of U.S. democracy. He hired a lobbying firm, spending more than $750,000 since September. The Livingston Group paraded Libyan interests to Congressmen and large firms capable of doing big deals (Exxon/Mobil, The Carlyle Group, & Northrop Grumman). Here are the odd coincidences:
1. Libya's lobbyist, The Livingston Group, pushed the first Gulf War.
2. Six Persian Gulf nations formed the Gulf Cooperation Council, an economic union between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
3. President Gaddafi heads the African Union and wants to create an African economic union.
4. The Carlyle Group hosted a dinner for Gaddafi's son at The Washington Club in November (story reported by The Jamahiriya News Agency). FT has a follow up on Libyan ties to PEU's.
5. The Carlyle Group launched a $500 million Middle East and North Africa fund.
Colonel Gaddafi is a quick study on "democracy and free markets." Allow American branded multinationals or the U.S. military will pave the way.
Update 2-1-14: It turns out Goldman Sach invested $1.2 billion in Libyan Investment Authority funds in six stock bets in March 2008, all of which turned up worthless. It took a lawsuit to get details on the investments Goldman Sachs made on Gadhafi's behalf.
1. Libya's lobbyist, The Livingston Group, pushed the first Gulf War.
2. Six Persian Gulf nations formed the Gulf Cooperation Council, an economic union between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
3. President Gaddafi heads the African Union and wants to create an African economic union.
4. The Carlyle Group hosted a dinner for Gaddafi's son at The Washington Club in November (story reported by The Jamahiriya News Agency). FT has a follow up on Libyan ties to PEU's.
5. The Carlyle Group launched a $500 million Middle East and North Africa fund.
Colonel Gaddafi is a quick study on "democracy and free markets." Allow American branded multinationals or the U.S. military will pave the way.
Update 2-1-14: It turns out Goldman Sach invested $1.2 billion in Libyan Investment Authority funds in six stock bets in March 2008, all of which turned up worthless. It took a lawsuit to get details on the investments Goldman Sachs made on Gadhafi's behalf.
