Why is there a revolution in Libya? The other point of view from revolutionary Venezuela

Lucha de Clases is the Venezuelan section of the International Marxist Tendency, a Trotskyist  network that has been on occasion accused of being one of the main political influences behind Hugo Chávez. However, while Chávez and some of his ministers feel the need to support Moamar al-Gaddafi's regime in Libya, the Trotskyists instead think that they must clarify how bourgeois and puppet of the Empire Gaddafi has become in the last two decades, and also how ineffective he is in delivering well being to the Libyan people, reasons why the revolution has begun. 

Specially since 2003, Libya has become very much capitalist and has allowed in several multinational oil corporations (BP, Exxon, Repsol, Total and of course the Italian ENI). In return Gaddafi has been integrated to the Italian and European bourgeois oligarchy by making him owner of some 5% of the stock of Italian car manufacturer FIAT, one of the many business of the neo-duce Berlusconi.

UN sanctions against Libya were lifted that year in exchange for an IMF-tailored economic package that meant that most of the state owned-economy was privatized. In 2006, Libya entered the WTO and in 2008 Condoleeza Rice in person blessed the regime's new alliance with the Empire. 

In spite of being as wealthy as Saudi Arabia, Libya allows 30% of its workforce to be unemployed, a figure similar to what can be found in much poorer countries like Tunisia or Egypt. Also the basic goods have become extremely more expensive in the last years, the same situation that triggered the uprisings in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, etc. 

Gaddafi also spoke out in favor of Ben Ali and Mubarak, something not even the Islamo-Fascist leaders of Iran dared to do. Only the genocidal colony of Israel was explicit in their support of Mubarak no matter what. 

In any case a strong warning is cast against any attempt of the Empire (NATO) of intervening militarily.