Word: libya
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...with Libya feeling increasingly abandoned by its Arab allies, Ghaddafi has changed his emphasis. Now he proclaims a "United States of Africa," and slogans such as "We Are Africans" are everywhere...
...outsiders. Probe a little deeper, though, and their feelings are very mixed. On the one hand, their satellite dishes and cell phones and Internet café s signal that they want to be part of the modern world from which they're isolated by sanctions - and from which Libya's rigidly organized social life discourages them from partaking. On the other hand, they feel unjustly victimized by the West, and many are ready to spring, unprompted, to Ghaddafi's defense in the face of any foreign criticism...
...Perhaps in terms of the short term prevention of terrorism, in which the proactive arms of the intelligence community are in the front line. But when it comes to long-term prevention, 'black ops' and military interventions are not good tools. Reagan bombed Libya, remember, but that didn?t stop Ghaddafi sponsoring terrorism. What got Libya out of the business of terrorism was diplomatic pressure. And that?s where the courts...
...case of Ghaddafi, it worked well for him, because cooperating with the court eventually got him a suspension of sanctions and warmer relations with the Europeans and Arab world. And, of course, the pressure that preceded the trial helped bring about a situation where Libya is no longer a state sponsor of terrorism. So the Lockerbie case shows that as one arrow in the quiver of diplomatic pressure, a court case can in fact be a useful weapon in the fight against terrorism...
...There's hot water and electricity, and I'm looking out over the waterfront right now and it's beautifully lit. But many people have stories of personal losses suffered as a result of sanctions, and there's no doubt they've set Libya back a few years...