Author Description

"Since 1969 Libya has been a consistent thorn in the side of the United States and of the West. This volume traces the emergence of Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi and his fellow officers within Libya's political system and details the ideological background that provided the energy for the country's self-styled revolution. It further chronicles how oil revenues fueled the regime's ambitions and how the country's increasing international isolation eventually tempered the revolution, resulting in Qadhafi's decision in December 2003 to rejoin the international community by agreeing to put a halt to his efforts at obtaining weapons of mass destruction. The final section of the book speculates in part on where Libya may now be heading after almost four decades of revolution and authoritarian rule." -- Book cover.