The US and EU don’t actually have much leverage with Arab dictators. Mariah Carey and Lionel Richie do. Richie was able to spring a friend from Dubai jail and Mariah Carey was paid a million dollars to sing for the Gaddafi family. Her appeal was also movied in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, like in the somewhat prescient clip above. There wasn’t a middle east conflict at all, it was the greedy landlord. Anyways, if anyone could pick up the phone and move Arab dictators now, it would be 80s pop stars. Lionel should call Muammar now and be like, ‘Hello, is it me you’re looking for?’
depression era (literally) humour but i digs it