Gaddafi the Peacemaker? Can He Be Trusted?

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi went from being the world's top supporter of terrorist regimes to self-proclaimed world peacemaker, renouncing all weapons of mass destruction and worldwide terrorism. How did this come about and can the free world trust him?

The Beginning

In 1969, Gaddafi entered the world political scene, leading a military coup and successfully deposing Libya's King Idris. As the new leader, Gaddafi kicked out descendants of Italian colonists out of the country, and then forced American and British troops to leave bases that they had occupied since the end of World War II. He also nationalized the country's vast oil industry. His posturing and socialist-influenced public policies soon made him a hero to radical elements in Africa and the Middle East, and a pariah to the West.

Gaddafi the Terrorist

In the seventies and eighties, several high-profile terrorist incidents were linked to the Gaddafi regime. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan ordered an air strike against Libya, targeting one of Gaddafi's palaces and killing his adopted baby daughter. The U.S. claimed that the air strike was in retaliation for Libyan involvement in the deadly bombing of a Berlin disco frequented by American soldiers.

In 1988, the explosion of a Pan Am jet carrying 270 people over Lockerbie, Scotland was traced to Libyan operatives. When Gaddafi refused to turn over the two suspects for trial, UN sanctions were placed on Libya.

"The New Gaddafi"

Ten years after the Pan Am tragedy, Gaddafi's mysterious "kinder and gentler" public transformation began. In 1999, he agreed to deliver the two bombing suspects to Scotland under United Nations custody. In 2001, they went to trial. One suspect was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. The other suspect was acquitted and freed.