Guy Chazan, Gregory L. White, and Alexander Kolyandr. "Middle East: Elites Loosen Embrace of Gadhafi Son. " Wall Street Journal 2 Mar. 2011, Eastern edition: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. ***** Abstract (Summary) ***** A World News article on Wednesday about Mr. Gadhafi's eroding international ties incorrectly said it was Mr. Gadhafi who asserted he had neighbors' support and misspelled Mr. Zadka's first name as Shaul, a spelling he once used. After a performance by Libyan folk dancers, Mr. Gadhafi led reporters swiftly past historical artifacts to his own paintings -- realist, surrealist and abstract works, including one called "Leader" that depicted his father. ***** Full Text ***** (1157 words) (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Reproduced with permission of copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission. Corrections & Amplifications Saul Zadka, a resident of London's Hampstead Garden Suburb, said neighbors support his bid to stop Libya's Saif Gadhafi from returning to the neighborhood but that they feared speaking out. A World News article on Wednesday about Mr. Gadhafi's eroding international ties incorrectly said it was Mr. Gadhafi who asserted he had neighbors' support and misspelled Mr. Zadka's first name as Shaul, a spelling he once used. LONDON -- Saif el-Islam Gadhafi has long enjoyed a comfortable place among the world's business, philanthropic and political elite. He was named a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos and hobnobbed with Russian oligarchs, blueblood British bankers and esteemed academics. Now, much of London polite society is slamming the door on him. Acolytes have disowned the 38-year-old architect, perhaps the most prominent offspring of Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi, since he appeared on state television vowing his father would fight "until the last man standing." More recent videos show him addressing supporters while holding an automatic rifle. * Such events transformed a man seen as a * reform-minded moderate into persona non * grata. His alma mater, the London School of Economics, * returned money he donated and ** is now investigating him for plagiarism over his doctoral thesis. LSE director Howard Davies told the BBC in an interview this week that taking money from Saif Gadhafi had been a risk. "I think it's right to say that that risk has backfired on us. I feel embarrassed about it," he said. The younger Gadhafi has rigorously defended his father's government. In an interview with Sky News, he denied that Libya's air force had attacked civilians protesting against Col. Gadhafi and said Libyans were united in their condemnation of the U.S., the United Nations and Britain. Attempts to contact Saif Gadhafi by telephone and through a Libyan government contact were unsuccessful. Saif Gadhafi was born in Tripoli in 1972 -- the Libyan dictator's eldest son by his second wife. He carved out a niche as a pro-Western liberal, in contrast to his hard-line father and siblings. In 2002, he enrolled at LSE and began work on a Ph.D. thesis on "the role of civil society in the democratization of global governance institutions." Seen as the presumptive heir of an oil-rich North African country, he became a fixture in London society. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth's second son and Britain's special trade envoy, hosted him at Buckingham Palace in October 2007. Saif later repaid the prince's hospitality in Tripoli. In 2008, he moved into a GBP 10 million ($16.3 million) mansion in London's tony neighborhood of Hampstead Garden Suburb, near a street known as Billionaire's Row. He also became friends with Nat Rothschild, scion of the legendary banking dynasty. Over time, Mr. Rothschild hosted Mr. Gadhafi at an engagement party in Greenwich Village; a shooting weekend in the English countryside; and the family villa in Corfu, Greece. A spokeswoman for Mr. Rothschild declined to comment on the current status of their relationship, saying only that the men last saw each other at a Davos party in January. Saif Gadhafi also developed a relationship with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, head of aluminum giant UC Rusal. He was involved in Rusal's efforts to find investors for its public listing in 2009, according to a person close to the discussions. The Libyan Investment Authority, a sovereign-wealth fund, ultimately spent $300 million on a 1.43% stake in Rusal, making it one of the single largest investors. A Rusal spokeswoman said only that Messrs. Gadhafi and Deripaska "knew each other but were not close friends." Last summer, Mr. Deripaska joined Saif Gadhafi in Moscow for the public opening of an exhibit of Libyan art -- including more than a dozen works by Mr. Gadhafi himself. After a performance by Libyan folk dancers, Mr. Gadhafi led reporters swiftly past historical artifacts to his own paintings -- realist, surrealist and abstract works, including one called "Leader" that depicted his father. "It seemed to me that he was being polite about the archaeological things, but moved quickly into the hall where his own works were," said Lilia Palveleva, a local radio reporter who attended. In London, a Libyan charitable foundation controlled by Saif Gadhafi gave LSE's Global Governance Research Unit a grant of GBP 1.5 million in 2009. Shortly after, he gave a speech to the school, where David Held, a political-science professor, introduced him as "someone who looks to democracy, civil society and deep liberal values for the core of his inspiration." Mr. Held declined to comment. After Mr. Gadhafi's recent TV appearance, LSE students protested ties with the Gadhafi clan, and an embarrassed school said it was reconsidering its links to Libya "as a matter of urgency." LSE returned the bulk of the grant money and is now investigating allegations that emerged online that parts of Saif Gadhafi's thesis were plagiarized, saying it "takes all allegations of plagiarism very seriously." Mr. Gadhafi was also booted out of the Young Global Leaders' club, whose members include luminaries such as Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, and Rahul Gandhi. In a blog post, David Aikman, head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, said Mr. Gadhafi's membership was based on his potential to one day deliver a more progressive Libyan government. "After the events of the last days in Libya and his direct intervention, it is clear that potential has not been fulfilled," Mr. Aikman wrote. The opprobrium has now spread further. A prominent British opposition lawmaker, Chris Bryant, said Tuesday that Prince Andrew should be sacked as trade ambassador because of his friendship with Mr. Gadhafi. Buckingham Palace declined to comment. Now, moves are afoot to drive Mr. Gadhafi from his posh London home. Shaul Zadka, a writer and fellow denizen of Hampstead Garden Suburb, is leading a campaign to stop him from returning to the area. Mr. Gadhafi claims he has his neighbors' support but says some are too fearful to speak out publicly. --- Scion's Lifestyle Libyan leader's son moved in Western circles -- Born in Tripoli June 25, 1972 -- Speaks Arabic, English, French and German -- Graduated with architecture degree from the University of Al-Fateh in Tripoli in 1994 -- Earned M.B.A. at IMADEC, a Vienna business school, in 2000 -- Studied for doctorate at the London School of Economics, 2002-07 -- Named Davos Young Global Leader in 2005 -- Head of the Gadhafi International Foundation for Charity Associations and the Libyan National Association for Drugs and Narcotics Control -- Unofficial spokesman of the Gadhafi government -- From his doctoral thesis: "In examining reform approaches, this thesis focuses on an analysis and critique of the prospects for civil society to evolve . . ." -- From Feb. 20th speech on Libyan TV: "We will fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet . . . We will destroy seditious elements." Credit: Guy Chazan; Gregory L. White; Alexander Kolyandr