Page 324 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

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304———Qaddafi, Muammar el- (1942– )

most seemingly bizarre actions. He has many times administration of U.S. president Ronald Reagan
described the globe as being divided into “imperial- bombed several Libyan targets in retaliation for the
ists”—that is, the West, and particularly the United Berlin nightclub bombing. Qaddafi’s compound was
States—and “revolutionaries”—the struggling nations hit; while he escaped, several family members and
of the Third World. He believes that the latter need associates were killed, including his daughter. He has
unite to overthrow the former, as he himself ousted the had the former compound made into a national shrine.
Libyan monarchy. He has supported the Palestinians The incident heightened Qaddafi’s reputation in the
in the struggle against Israel and has attempted to Middle East; he was seen as having courageously and
develop strategic alliances with other Arab states in successfully defied the most powerful nation in the
line with the concepts of Nasser. In recent years, he world.
has turned his attention to Africa, extolling similar Libya and Qaddafi may be turning away from ter-
unification and mutual aid plans to other North and rorism. U.S. and international sanctions have taken a
sub-Saharan African nations in his travels around the severe toll on the Libyan oil industry, and with the fall
continent. of communism, Qaddafi’s revolutionary rhetoric has
lost the appeal it had in the 1970s. Moderate voices
within the upper echelons of Libyan society have begun
QADDAFI AND TERRORISM
to quietly urge concessions, arguing that the removal of
Qaddafi sees terrorism as a legitimate means to sanctions and reintegration of Libya into the inter-
accomplish the overthrow of the imperialists. Libya’s national community will not only improve conditions
sponsorship of international terrorism since Qaddafi’s within the country but also lend Libya greater influence
assumption of power has included dozens of groups in Middle Eastern and African affairs. In 1999, Libya
in as many countries; a partial list includes the Irish expelled Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal, and turned
Republican Army, the Red Brigades of Italy, the over to a Scots court two former intelligence officers
Japanese Red Army, the Sandinistas of Nicaragua, the wanted in the Lockerbie bombing. (The two were con-
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, victed and sentenced to life in prison in 2001.)
the Baader-Meinhof Gang of Germany, the Abu Nidal In May 2002, Libya offered $2.7 billion in com-
Organization, the Palestine Liberation Organization, pensation to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and bombing—an unprecedented amount—predicated
the Moro National Liberation Front of the Philippines. upon the lifting of sanctions. While U.S. government
Libya has not only provided these groups with funds officials hailed the move as progressive, at the time of
but also sent arms—in some cases tons of weaponry— this writing it is not known whether the families will
and allowed them to establish training camps in the accept or whether the U.S. government will agree to
country. rescind the sanctions and remove Libya from its list of
Qaddafi’s sponsorship of terrorism has extended terrorist-sponsoring states.
beyond the patronage of foreign groups. He has
See also ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION; PAN AM FLIGHT 103
ordered the assassination of Libyan dissidents in other
BOMBING
countries. In 1984, an English policewoman was killed
when shots were fired from inside Libya’s embassy Further Reading
in London into a crowd of demonstrators. Libyan intel-
ligence operatives are believed to have been involved Arnold, Guy. The Maverick State: Gaddafi and the New
World Order. London: Cassell, 1996.
in the bombing of a Berlin nightclub in 1986 and
Sicker, Martin. The Making of a Pariah State: The
the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie,
Adventurist Policies of Muamar Qaddafi. New York:
Scotland, in 1988. Libyan links to terrorism, particu-
Praeger, 1987.
larly attacks on U.S. targets, have often made Qaddafi
Tremless, George. Gaddafi: The Desert Mystic. New York:
and his regime the target of U.S. reprisals. Since the Carroll & Graf, 1993.
Berlin bombing, Libya has been sanctioned by the
United Nations, while the United States cut off all
diplomatic relations with the country and imposed QAEDA, AL. See AL QAEDA.
its own, more stringent sanctions. Also in 1986, the