EDITORIAL: Wanderings: Libya

Officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiria, Libya has been one of the world’s UN sanctioned pariah countries for years owing to its support of subversive political groups in the 1970’s and 80’s, the Chadian border war, and the Pan-Am bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. But recently, and in part pressured by the US War of Terrorism, Libya’s leader Col. Mu’ammar Qadhafi has renounced state sponsored terrorism, given up a supposed weapons-of-mass-destruction development program, and been allowed to reopen Libya’s vast oil fields - which account for practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of Libya’s GDP - to international development.

With the US announcing that it is restoring full diplomatic relations with Libya, and an increase in oil and tourism revenue, Libya’s days ahead look bright.