7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7
the Kenyan election crisis that began in late December
2007, eventually brokering a power-sharing agreement
between the government and the opposition on Feb. 28,
- In the same year, he received the Peace of Westphalia
Prize, awarded biannually for contributions to unity and
peace in Europe, and became chancellor of the University
of Ghana.
Muammar al-Qaddafi
(b. 1942, near Surt, Libya)
S
ince 1969 Muammar al-Qaddafi has been the de facto
leader of Libya, known for his outspoken and contro-
versial policies, particularly toward the West.
The son of an itinerant Bedouin farmer, Qaddafi was
born in a tent in the Libyan desert. He proved a talented
student and graduated from the University of Libya in 1963.
A devout Muslim and ardent Arab nationalist, Qaddafi
early began plotting to overthrow the Libyan monarchy of
King Idrīs I. He graduated from the Libyan military acad-
emy in 1965 and thereafter rose steadily through the ranks,
all the while continuing to plan a coup with the help of his
fellow army officers. Captain Qaddafi seized control of
the government in a military coup that deposed King Idrīs
in September 1969. Qaddafi was named commander in
chief of the armed forces and chairman of Libya’s new
governing body, the Revolutionary Command Council.
Qaddafi removed the U.S. and British military bases
from Libya in 1970. He expelled most members of the
native Italian and Jewish communities from Libya that
same year, and in 1973 he nationalized all foreign-owned
petroleum assets in the country. He also outlawed alco-
holic beverages and gambling, in accordance with his
own strict Islamic principles. Qaddafi also began a series
of persistent but unsuccessful attempts to unify Libya
