Libya in 2011
In 2011 during the popular uprising in Libya Gafurov became one of the most prominent ideologists of pro-Kaddafi forces in Russia, though Gafurov himself pointed out that he did not take sides "Any barricade has only two sides. And if there are your enemies on both it simply means that this is not your barricade".
However, in practice Gafurov's articles defended Kaddasfi's side based on 1. Gafurov's thesis that the uprisal is a tribal reaction to Kaddafi's attempts to modernise Libya (http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=626165?flattr, http://www.vz.ru/opinions/2011/2/25/471579.html, http://community.livejournal.com/ru_politics/36396770.html, http://williambowles.info/2011/03/09/what-is-happening-in-libya-by-said-gafurov/, http://www.centrasia.ru/newsA.php?st=1299736680) 2. That the insurgents were led by former Minister of Justice in the Kaddafi's government . 3. Economic interests of Russian oil and gas sector (http://spb.kp.ru/daily/25657/820922/).
Gafourov's article that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was cheated by US vice-president Biden that promised to send US Minister of Defence Gates to Russias before implementation of the UN Revolution 1973 caused a main scandal in the Russian political circles and widely distributed especially when it was followed by public exchange of opinions between Russian President Medvedev and Prime-Minister Putin.
In addition Gafurov defended Syria regime during the uprising in Deraa pointing that it was a struggle for arable land between druzes and bedouins (http://www.vz.ru/opinions/2011/3/23/478023.html).
Read more about this topic: Said Gafurov