Libyan Leader Qaddafi: We Call on America to Change Its Democracy into a Republic of the Masses

The following are excerpts from an interview with Libyan leader Mu'ammar Al-Qaddafi:

Al-Qaddafi: The U.S. doesn't have a regime worth imitating. If any regime is worth imitating it is the Libyan regime: A republic of the masses, in which men and women govern themselves. It is a direct popular democracy… The Green Book should be read as a guide for the world to break free of the injustice and exploitation it suffers today.

On the other hand, what model does the U.S. offer any country as a rescue plan? The rescue plan is the republic of the masses, it is The Green Book. As for The Green Book - today, arrogance and conceit may be the reason that large countries, and even the small ones, reject these things. But the books that have transformed the world are of this kind and the people who have changed the world were barefoot, naked, and miserable. They came from the East, not the West, and their books were neglected. These were the philosophers, the thinkers, and the prophets. Their books were mocked and burned, and they themselves were mocked, persecuted, tortured, and even crucified. But eventually, the world has accepted their religion and acknowledges their virtue.

Host: In the West, there is some dispute regarding democracy and the republic of the masses. It's been claimed there is Western pressure on Libya to replace the republic of the masses with democracy. What will you do in light of this?

Al-Qaddafi:In other words, they want us to go backwards. They cannot claim that they are more [democratic] then Libya. We call the U.S. to become a republic of the masses. We call upon the American people to govern themselves by themselves, and convene popular committees.

Today, after the bitter experience of 2004, it has been proven that the project of traditional democracy, of political parties, of pluralism, of elections, of presidents, and of governments - failed. These are old classic molds that should all be in a museum. The world is in a crisis and it faces the challenges of this age with old and worn-out molds not suitable for the challenges of the current age.

All these concepts of "ruler" and "subject" are shameful. It is a disgrace to human nature. The term "government"… If you say the word "government" in Libya, they laugh at you.