Status Updates From The New Middle East: The Wo...

It was through his World Revolutionary Headquarters in Benghazi that Gaddafi did most of his damage on the continent & beyond, funding civil wars in Sierra Leone & Liberia. There was barely an armed militant group anywhere in the world during the 70s-80s that he wasn't willing to back; if you were an enemy of Western interests, you were a friend of his & his [oil] money flowed instantly towards your cause.

Qutb [intellectual godfather of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood] crossed the line of Tafkir. Fringe fanatics who felt entitled, in their own mind at least, to decide who wasn't a good Muslim & to wage war against those who did not meet their extremist criteria. They remained few but drew together against the Soviets in Afghanistan, where they formed alliances & later, the Internet enabled them to stay in touch.