Gaddafi’s Gamble - Libya - July 2004

Gaddafi’s rapprochement with the West may be solely to strengthen his own regime. But what are the implications of this new policy for Libya? “Nothing has changed.“ complains Libyan dissident Ashur Shamis. “Gaddafi and his cronies want to keep things as they were before.“ For ordinary Libyans, Gaddafi’s marriage of convenience with the West is no cause for celebration. They see it purely as a means of strengthening his despotic regime and avoiding having to make any real reforms. Libyan expert George Jaffe agrees. “Colonel Gaddafi’s fundamental concern is to keep his regime in being.“ Years of economic sanctions had left Libya’s economy in ruins. Trapped between the rising anger of his own people and a more aggressive United States, Gaddafi was forced to act. “All of us agreed that Libya should adopt several reforms,“ explains his son and heir, Seif Gaddafi. So Libya renounced terrorism, dismantled its nuclear programme and accepted responsibility for