Clinton: Libya needs a Wal-Mart

Bill Clinton challenges CEO to open stores in Tripoli

Published September 24, 2012 2:11PM (EDT)

Former President Bill Clinton has an idea of what beleaguered Libya needs: a Wal-Mart.

Speaking at his eighth annual Clinton Global Initiative summit on Sunday, he challenged Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke to open a store in the troubled region to create jobs and foster international cooperation.

"If the new president of Libya asked you to open a store in Tripoli, would you consider it?" Clinton asked Duke (a panelist at the event).

Clinton's yearly summit is intended to encourage business leaders, NGOs and politicians to brainstorm and make pledges in the name of global investment and humanitarianism --  the sort of humanitarianism  that sees more Wal-Mart stores and jobs as a solution.

Renowned in the past decade for a string of overseas labor abuses, Wal-Mart recently won praise from Clinton on "The Daily Show" for its sustainable energy efforts. Watch the clip below, in which Clinton also tells Jon Stewart about his CGI guest list:

 

 

 


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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Bill Clinton Libya Libya Embassy Attack Middle East Neo-liberalism Wal-mart