SNAFU with Ed Helms: "Introducing Fiasco: Benghazi — The Dictator"

Date: September 8, 2025
Podcast: SNAFU with Ed Helms (Prologue Projects & Pushkin Industries)
Host: Ed Helms (for SNAFU); Episode narrated by Leon Neyfakh
Series: Fiasco Season 4 ("Benghazi"), Episode 1: "The Dictator"

Episode Overview

This episode serves as the debut of the "Fiasco: Benghazi" season, setting out to unravel the complex story behind the 2012 Benghazi attack and its consequences for Libya and the United States. Leon Neyfakh takes listeners through the long, bloody history of Muammar Gaddafi's regime, the surprising rapprochement between Libya and the US post-9/11, and the deep-rooted dynamics that set the stage for the events in Benghazi. The episode explores the brutality of Gaddafi’s rule, American attempts to "reset" relations, and the diplomatic culture leading up to the tragedy that would later ignite fierce American political controversy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Benghazi Attack and Its Ensuing Scandal

• Attack Recap:
  — On September 11, 2012, armed assailants attacked a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, killing four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens ([04:04]). — The attack evolved into a political firestorm in the US, with fierce debates on accountability, security lapses, and administrative failures ([04:48], [08:03]).
• Political Fallout:
  — Benghazi became synonymous with scandal and conspiracy, particularly affecting Hillary Clinton and, by some arguments, contributing to her loss in the 2016 US presidential election ([08:40]).

2. Who Was Muammar Gaddafi?

• Rise to Power:
  — Came to power in 1969 by deposing King Idris in Benghazi at age 27 ([23:35], [24:00]). — Portrayed as a revolutionary, challenging Western imperialism, particularly through oil policy ([24:13], [24:52]).
• Brutal Regime:
  — Oversaw systematic repression, arbitrary detentions, torture, public executions, and notorious massacres such as at Abu Saleem prison ([14:08]-[33:08]). — Supported international terrorism, including the IRA, Sandinistas, PLO, and was accused in the Lockerbie bombing and Berlin discotheque attack ([25:26]-[29:45]).
• International Pariah Turned Ally:
  — Once the “mad dog of the Middle East” (Ronald Reagan, [06:12]), Gaddafi reconciled with the West in the early 2000s, opening Libya to US businesses and becoming a nominal partner in the war on terror ([06:36]-[36:25]).

3. Inside Gaddafi’s Libya: Testimony from a Survivor

• Hussein Al Shafi’s Story:
  — Arrested in 1989 as an engineering student in Benghazi for criticizing the regime ([14:08]-[19:12]). — Spent over a decade imprisoned, tortured, and survived the 1996 Abu Saleem massacre where over 1,000 inmates were killed in one day ([20:01]-[23:23]). — Described the psychological control of the regime: “No voice above Gaddafi's voice, you know.” ([15:19]) — Al Shafi’s tale shines a spotlight on the climate of fear, the broad net cast against suspected dissenters, and the emotional legacy for survivors and families ([17:31], [19:12], [22:13]).

4. US-Libya Rapprochement: A Deal with the Devil

• Thawing Relations:
  — Spearheaded by the Bush administration as a diplomatic “win” after the 2003 Iraq invasion ([34:14]-[35:13]). — Gaddafi surrendered his fledgling nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and international acceptance ([34:44]-[36:25]). — US government sought Gaddafi’s help against Al Qaeda, with the irony that many Libyan Islamists the regime targeted became part of international jihad ([37:19]-[38:01]).

5. Diplomatic Adventure: Chris Stevens and the Appeal of Libya

• Profile of Ambassador Stevens:
  — Described as intrigued by the “mystery” of Libya, part of a tradition of American Arabists (romanticizing the Middle East) ([41:38]-[45:05]). — Stevens’ approach: open-minded, engaged risk-taker, optimistic about engaging with Islamists ([46:23]-[47:22]). — Not all shared his optimism; some, including colleague Ethan Chorin, believed this made Stevens—and the US mission in Libya—vulnerable ([48:20]).
• Stevens' Philosophy:

  "He once wrote that Islamist doesn't necessarily translate to extremist." — Leon Neyfakh ([47:02])

6. The Seeds of Revolution and Resistance

• Abu Saleem Protests:
  — Families of massacre victims catalyzed Libya’s first real protest movement, emboldened by the regime’s inability to ignore them ([53:38]-[54:47]). — These public protests, initially led by women, signaled the beginning of broader dissent that would explode during the Arab Spring.
• Prelude to 2011:
  — By late 2000s, US diplomats (including Stevens) were in Libya trying to build relationships and understand Gaddafi’s fractured, suspicious elite ([49:15]-[50:19]). — The stage was set for the cataclysmic events of the Arab Spring and, ultimately, the Benghazi tragedy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Political Myopia:

  "A question that usually got skipped over as if the answer were self evident was what Ambassador Stevens was doing in Benghazi to begin with? All anyone seemed interested in was that the American mission in Libya had failed, not what the mission had actually been."
  — Narration ([05:09])

• On Gaddafi's Reputation:

  "He's the ultimate villain, the godfather of international terrorism. A one dimensional, erratic, irrational, unbalanced, two bit dictator."
  — Channel 4 narration ([26:38])

• On the Human Cost of Tyranny:

  “I try to use this ear, not that ear, because this one cut in the jail.”
  — Hussein Al Shafi ([19:12])

• On Post-2012 American Perception:

  "Instead, I experienced it as an American political scandal. I associated the word Benghazi with a drawn out controversy that had spawned endless conspiracy theories and captivated the Republican Party."
  — Leon Neyfakh ([07:35])

• On Stevens' Diplomatic Style:

  "I think he was always willing to open a conversation with people from pretty scary Islamist backgrounds. ... He stayed up way into the night to debate East German political theory with this guy who'd been fighting as a jihadist in Afghanistan."
  — Paul Richter ([47:22])

• On Survival in Gaddafi’s Libya:

  “He doesn't say I'm against Muslim because he claims too that he is a Muslim...that was a pretext, means that he taken as a reason to kill or to demolish his opponents.”
  — Hussein Al Shafi ([17:31])

• On the Cycle of US-Libya Relations:

  "In the wake of the invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi was spooked. He became convinced that if he didn't make certain concessions, he would be next."
  — Leon Neyfakh ([34:44])

Important Segment Timestamps

• Benghazi attack and scandal setup: [03:32]–[08:40]
• Intro to Gaddafi’s regime: [05:46]–[13:03]
• Testimony from Hussein Al Shafi: [14:08]–[23:23]
• Gaddafi’s international terrorism years: [24:45]–[29:45]
• Abu Saleem massacre and its legacy: [19:24], [23:23]–[33:08]
• US-Libya Detente / Weapons-for-peace deal: [33:08]–[36:49]
• Diplomatic culture, Chris Stevens profile: [41:38]–[47:22]
• Abu Saleem protests as precursor to revolution: [53:13]–[54:47]
• Closing tease for Episode 2 ("Libya erupts in revolution"): [55:17]–[55:37]

Tone and Style

Narrative-driven, deeply reported and informed by first-person testimony (notably from survivors like Hussein Al Shafi and diplomats like Ethan Chorin). The storytelling is vivid and often unsettling, blending documentary evidence with personal memory and historical context. The podcast intersperses narration with archival tape, voice actors, and original interviews, keeping a clear, journalistic tone but also seeking emotional resonance.

For Listeners New to the Benghazi Story

This episode offers a crucial, human primer on the decades of Libyan repression and international intrigue that brought about the unrest of the 2010s—and the American tragedy at the center of the "Benghazi" scandal. It makes clear that to understand what happened on that fatal night—and why it mattered so much to both Libya and the US—one must first understand the history of Gaddafi’s ruthless regime, America’s shifting alliances, and the tragedies endured by the Libyan people.

Next Episode Preview:
“Libya erupts in revolution. Gaddafi threatens to destroy Benghazi and America decides to get involved.” ([55:17])