Two or more of Muammar Qaddafi’s sons have proposed a resolution in Libya that entails pushing their father aside. The proposal calls for Libya to transition into a constitutional democracy under the leadership of Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, one of his seven sons, reports the New York Times. It’s unclear whether Qaddafi will go along with the resolution. Although it might be a moot point considering representatives for the opposition say seeing any Qaddafi in office is unacceptable. More so than a viable solution, the proposal offers a glimpse into the complicated Qaddafi family dynamics, especially in the wake of the defection of one of Qaddafi’s closest confidantes, Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa.
In particular, the proposal highlights the strained relationship between two factions of Qaddafi’s sons. Seif and Saadi have leaned toward Western-style economic and political change, while two other sons, Khamis and Mutuassim, are more hard-line, with each leading his own militia. Seif has a history of pushing for reform and then pulling back, most recently taking his father’s side in threatening protesters with violence. Mutuassim, a national-security adviser and Seif’s long-standing competition, is likely to resist the proposal. In case the conflict wasn’t complicated enough, you can now add “armed-and-dangerous sibling rivalry over a plan that the rebels won’t even concede to” to your list of variables.
2 Qaddafi Sons Are Said to Offer Plan to Push Father Out [NYT]
