From the archives: Saif Gaddafi in conversation

No need to explain why we’re disinterring this interview with Saif Gaddafi, by Justin Marozzi, from out of the archives. Given his “rivers of blood” warning this week, his claim that “I’m very enthusiastic to see Libya as an oasis of democracy, a society that respects the environment and human rights and so on, and is a model in the region,” below, is now blackly hilarious.

Son of Mad Dog, Justin Marozzi, The Spectator, 27 July 2002

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi glides into the Royal Suite at Claridge’s looking like an Italian football manager: all suit and no hair. A white handkerchief sprouts from his breast pocket. His silk tie is a muted red and green, and the slim black lace-ups look hand-made. It’s all a far cry from the dusty, potholed streets of Africa where Daddy, the great revolutionary, has been on one of the weirdest roadshows on earth, literally showering dollars on bewildered peasants in an exuberant attempt to become the continent’s new spiritual leader.