US and Libyan Relations

For many years, Libya was a pariah state under United Nations sanctions. However, since 1999, relations between Libya and the Western world underwent a remarkable turnaround. Libya gave up its weapons of mass destruction program, ended its longstanding sponsorship of terrorism, and made amends concerning the Lockerbie bombing. Yet, despite these noteworthy accomplishments, Muammar al-Qaddafi managed to destroy years of good will with the international community in only a matter of days by his brutal tactics to maintain power during the Libyan peoples' uprising in early 2011. Libya finds itself at a crossroads. One road leads towards freedom and the other back towards authoritarian rule. Which road it takes, will depend heavily on how the United States involves itself in the crisis. This research paper will examine the recent uprising in Libya, its ramifications to the United States and Africa, and the possible options available to help guide Libya towards democratization.