"Since 1969 Libya has been a consistent thorn in the side of the United Stated and of the West. This volume traces the emergence of Muammar al-Qaddafi 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 Qaddafi'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 labia may now be heading after almost four decades of revolution and authoritarian rules." -- Book cover.

Introduction -- Libya's revolution in perspective : 1969-2000 / Dirk Vandewalle -- Formal and informal authority in Libya since 1969 / Hanspeter Mattes -- Qadhafi and political Islam in Libya / Alison Pargeter -- Political elites in Libya since 1969 / Amal S.M. Obeidi -- The Libyan economy in transition : opportunities and challenges / Ronald Bruce St John -- The future of the U.S.-Libyan commercial relationship / Ethan D. Chorin -- Libya and its North African policy / John P. Entelis -- Prodigal or pariah? Foreign policy in Libya / George Joffé -- Libya in the new millennium / Dirk Vandewalle -- Postscript : Libya as Harbinger? The U.S.-Libyan rapprochement / Jon B. Alterman.