A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Saif Qadhafi, Ph.D. May Be a War Criminal, But LSE Will Guard His Privacy on Whether his Dissertation was Plagiarized

Saig al-Islam al-Qadhafi was last heard from somewhere in southern Libya, perhap[s headed for Niger, allegedly putting out feelers to the outside world. His prospects are uncertain; if he escapes and avoids the sort of ignominious death inflicted upon his father, he still faces charges of war crimes before the International Criminal Court.

But Saif can rest easy on one count: whatever his fate, the London School of Economics probably will not make public the results of their investigation into whether Saif's doctoral dissertation was plagiarized will probably not be made public. And questions about Libyan grants to LSE may or may not be clarified though Saif's "informal academic adviser" is moving to Durham University.

He may end up in prison for war crimes, but they may still have to address him as Dr. Qadhafi.

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