A quarter of a century after that attack, he clings stubbornly to power. Despite the destruction of his military at the hands of British, French, and American air power, he told the crowd brought to the compound to act as his human shield that he would never surrender. “We are ready for the fight, whether it will be a short or a long one,” he declared.

Such swaggering defiance is the trademark of the cornered tyrant. Yet it also underscores an uncomfortable truth facing an international community desperate to see the end of Colonel Gaddafi’s rule: tyrants are often hard to remove.

With his amazon female bodyguard, elaborate outfits and incoherent diatribes, it is easy to dismiss Col Gaddafi as just another dictator who has let power go to his head. But mere megalomania does not explain his survival since he took power by force in 1969. Those who have met him speak of the razor-sharp focus, manipulative style and instinctive understanding of how to wield power that has carried him through attempted coups and assassinations.

While western military action might have consolidated Col Gaddafi’s remaining political support base, however, it has emboldened others too – not just in the rebel-held east but also in government strongholds. In Tripoli, dissatisfaction with the regime appeared to resurface this week as the effects of air strikes and sanctions were felt. Five weeks after the protests started residents could once again be heard murmuring their opposition to Col Gaddafi, telling foreign journalists that they would attempt to stage fresh protests.