Gaddfi clung to a fading reality

As the uprising spread, the Libyan leader still banked on popular support, and wondered why his allies were defecting.

Muammar Gaddafi's public persona during the Libyan civil war was that of a confident, defiant leader - a man who (in a much-parodied speech) threatened to hunt his enemies from house to house, room to room, alley to alley. But recordings of his private conversations with aides reveal a more measured, less self-assured tone. Sometimes he is frustrated with his inner circle, which slowly began to defect as the uprising dragged on. Other recordings show Gaddafi grasping for any leverage he can find - even bizarre plots, like trying to pressure the Spanish government by threatening to recognise the Basque separatist movement.

Gaddafi: Aren't you preparing a green rally?

Al-Mahmoudi: We did it locally.

Gaddafi: Not here. Do it abroad. For us it's more important overseas. We need to show a green rally with tens of thousands of Libyans.

Gaddafi: Can you believe that Mubarak al-Shamekh [defected]?

El Safi: He's crazy.

Gaddafi: He's the chairman of the General People's Congress, a position beyond his dreams. What more could he want?

El Safi: I swear, it's insanity. He's out of his mind.

Gaddafi: I would understand if he were a monarchist, a rich man, from the Muslim Brotherhood, an infidel, or a fascist. But not him.

El Safi: He was on Al Hurra, the American intelligence TV. Shame on him.

Gaddafi: Where are the ideas of Nasser? Where is the revolutionary spirit? Where is his Arab nationalism, liberation of Palestine, and Arab unity?