Libya’s Reconciliation with the West

As current events continue to unfold, a part of the Arab world is at a major crossroads, pursuing a change in foreign policy and a new attitude toward the West not witnessed in at least three decades. A departure from international isolation is preceding a steadily growing rapprochement with the world’s military hegemon. This poses the prospect of a future as a key player in not only its own regional affairs but in major global politics, as well as the opportunity for greater economic growth and development and the establishment of integrated multilateral trade. But the country in question is not Iraq or Iran or any of the other familiar members of the Persian Gulf- it is Libya, one of the most isolated and overlooked states in the politically vital Middle East and North Africa. But Libya may not play such a trivial role for long, as recent events have demonstrated a significant turning point in Libyan relations with the West and toward Great Britain and the United States in particular. Fortunately for all three nations, this shift in policy has been one of improving relations, the consequences of which are likely to usher in a new era in Libya’s political history as it moves to take on a new role regionally and globally.

Policy Background

By all accounts, what is unfolding between Libya and the outside world today is a

departure from isolation and a moving toward normalization of relations with the West

and integration within the international community. Moreover, it is a redirection in

policy that has not taken place since the 1969 coup that brought Colonel Muammar

Qaddafi to power and led to three decades of political, diplomatic, and economic

isolation from much of the world, strained to ...

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