The Great Man-Made River in Libya was once considered the 8th Wonder of the World. Water was first discovered in the 1960s when oil and gas drilling companies discovered enormous aquifers beneath the desert sands of Libya. 20 years after these discoveries, Libya was under the brutal dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi who had overthrown the monarchy in 1969. Gaddafi embarked on an ambitious plan to pump water from under the desert into large reservoirs that were connected by pipelines throughout the country. While three of the five planned phases were completed at an estimated cost of $30 billion, the project was halted when Gaddafi was killed in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings. This is the fascinating story of a despot who had a grand vision for Islamic pan-Arab nationalism and will forever be linked to one of the greatest engineering feats the world has ever seen; a man who was ultimately betrayed by western “allies” and ironically died as brutally as he ruled at the hands of young Islamic Arab nationalists.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:35

Chapter One: 00:05:11

Chapter Two: 00:09:21

Chapter Three: 00:15:27

Chapter Four: 00:21:57

Chapter Five: 00:32:13

Chapter Six: 00:37:07

Bring it home, Max. 00:44:18

Resources

Water Supply Project: GMR (Great Man-Made River)

Middle East Institute: What’s next for Libya’s Great Man-Made River Project?

What Happened to Libya's Great Man-Made River Project?

GWI: Libya’s $11 billion water lifeline

ScienceDirect Topics: Agricultural Revolution - an overview

Reuters: Libyan leaders agree form new unified government

Al Jazeera: Libya’s High State Council elects new leader as political gridlock deepens

Muammar Gaddafi Interviewed Just Before Libyan Revolution

Moammar Gadhafi Dead Video: Last Moments Alive Caught on Tape in Sirte

Book Love

John Wright: History of Libya

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Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

The Great Man-Made River in Libya was once considered the 8th Wonder of the World. Water was first discovered in the 1960s when oil and gas drilling companies discovered enormous aquifers beneath the desert sands of Libya. 20 years after these discoveries, Libya was under the brutal dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi who had overthrown the monarchy in 1969. Gaddafi embarked on an ambitious plan to pump water from under the desert into large reservoirs that were connected by pipelines throughout the country. While three of the five planned phases were completed at an estimated cost of $30 billion, the project was halted when Gaddafi was killed in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings. This is the fascinating story of a despot who had a grand vision for Islamic pan-Arab nationalism and will forever be linked to one of the greatest engineering feats the world has ever seen; a man who was ultimately betrayed by western “allies” and ironically died as brutally as he ruled at the hands of young Islamic Arab nationalists.
Chapters
Intro: 00:00:35
Chapter One: 00:05:11
Chapter Two: 00:09:21
Chapter Three: 00:15:27
Chapter Four: 00:21:57
Chapter Five: 00:32:13
Chapter Six: 00:37:07
Bring it home, Max. 00:44:18
Resources
Water Supply Project: <a href="https://www.water-technology.net/projects/gmr/">GMR (Great Man-Made River)</a>
Middle East Institute: <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/whats-next-libyas-great-man-made-river-project">What’s next for Libya’s Great Man-Made River Project?</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSzVrlNsaXM">What Happened to Libya's Great Man-Made River Project?</a>
GWI: <a href="https://www.globalwaterintel.com/articles/libya-s-11-billion-water-lifeline">Libya’s $11 billion water lifeline</a>
ScienceDirect Topics: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/agricultural-revolution">Agricultural Revolution - an overview</a>
Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/libyan-leaders-agree-form-new-unified-government-2024-03-10/">Libyan leaders agree form new unified government</a>
Al Jazeera: <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/6/libyas-high-state-council-elects-new-leader-as-political-gridlock-deepens">Libya’s High State Council elects new leader as political gridlock deepens</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUhZmO6P0NU">Muammar Gaddafi Interviewed Just Before Libyan Revolution</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGm492qVEzA&amp;rco=1">Moammar Gadhafi Dead Video: Last Moments Alive Caught on Tape in Sirte</a>
Book Love
John Wright: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780199327119">History of Libya</a>
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/unftrpod">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at <a href="https://unftr.substack.com/">unftr.substack.com</a> to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.
Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PpzNXBub9FLngMradJByC?si=abaed3d396504fae">spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.</a>
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at<a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations"> bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is hosted by Max and distributed by 99.
Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 

Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 

As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 

Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

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