Inside the Mind of Moammar Gadhafi

The Takeaway

Over the course of his 42-year reign, Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi has garnered a reputation for being one of the most eccentric and unpredictable leaders on the global stage. Since assuming leadership of the country at age 27, his rule felt unshakable until the first series of uprisings in February. What makes him tick, and what could he be thinking now, as he continues to hide from rebel forces while his leadership seems to be reaching an end? Dr. Jerrold Post, professor of psychiatry, political psychology, and international affairs at George Washington University, founder of the CIA’s  political  profiling center, and author of “Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World: The Psychology of Political Behavior,”  wrote about this topic for Foreign Policy in March.  

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