Saif Gaddafi's LSE professor quits ahead of Libya report
David Held may have been too close to dictator's son to survive the inquiry into LSE-Libya relations
AN ACADEMIC from the London School of Economics who was an advisor and friend of Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has resigned. Political science professor David Held leaves ahead of a report which is expected to criticise the LSE for its close ties to the Gaddafi regime, according to The Guardian.
Held will take up a position at Durham University and claims that "the move is being made for academic reasons". However, his close relationship with Saif is inconvenient for one of the UK's top universities at a time when it is attempting to salvage its reputation after a string of damaging links with Libya.
Saif, who is currently on the run and facing war crimes charges from the International Criminal Court, received his PhD from LSE in 2008. He was directly advised by Held, and thanked him personally in the 'acknowledgements' section. The following year, the LSE's Global Governance research centre – co-directed by Held - benefitted from a £1.5 million donation from the Gaddafi charitable foundation.
The professor championed Saif as a reforming influence, and introduced him to the Ralph Miliband memorial lecture by saying: "Saif looks to democracy, civil society and deep liberal values as the core of his inspiration." Held also travelled to Libya at Colonel Gaddafi's expense.
But he was far from alone at LSE in befitting from links with a regime which is held responsible for thousands of civilian deaths during the recent uprising.
In March, The Times revealed that the University had accepted £1 million to give leadership training to elite members of the regime. Sir Howard Davies was forced to resign as LSE director soon after, for accepting the funding despite internal opposition, and for advising Libya's Sovereign Wealth fund for $50,000 in 2007.
Ashok Kumar, education officer of LSE's students' union, said the scandal proved that "the relationship between the upper echelons of the LSE and the Gaddafi family is deeper and more perverse than we would have ever imagined".
The LSE respond by initiating The Woolf Inquiry to establish the nature of the School's relationship with Libya. Lord Woolf submitted his report on 17 October. The LSE is expected to publish its findings imminently.
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