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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Libya
Index
Qadhafi's stance on nuclear weapons has been contradictory.
Unconfirmed but persistent press reports beginning soon after the
1969 revolution indicated that Libya wanted to purchase a nuclear
weapon or the components for such a device. According to one
report, Qadhafi sent his deputy, Jallud, to Beijing (formerly
Peking) in an unsuccessful attempt to purchase tactical nuclear
weapons. Qadhafi has voiced his concern over the Israeli nuclear
capability and publicly expressed his desire to obtain nuclear
weapons. Nevertheless, in 1975 Libya reaffirmed its commitment to
the 1968 Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed
originally by the monarchy in 1968
(see Foreign Military Assistance
, ch. 5). Qadhafi also stated in interviews in 1981 and
1984 that Libya was only interested in the peaceful applications of
nuclear energy, and he scoffed at the idea of "an Islamic bomb."
There is no doubt, however, that Libya has undertaken extensive
bilateral negotiations to secure nuclear research facilities and
power plants, and many Libyan students in nuclear energy fields
have been sent to United States, West European, and East European
universities to further their studies. According to the terms of a
1974 nuclear cooperation treaty with Argentina, Libya was provided
with equipment and technical training. Argentina agreed to send
senior geologists to Libya to advise on uranium prospecting and
uranium enrichment. One alleged reason Libya occupied the Aouzou
Strip in Chad in 1975 was that the area was thought to be rich in
uranium deposits. Libya and India agreed in July 1978 to cooperate
in the peaceful application of nuclear energy, in line with India's
"atoms for peace" policy. Libya also contributed money to
Pakistan's nuclear effort. France agreed in 1976 to build a nuclear
research plant in Libya designed to power a water desalination
plant.
Libya's main partner in the nuclear field, however, has been
the Soviet Union. A small (ten megawatt) Soviet-supplied reactor
began operation in Tajura (outside Tripoli) in 1981. Three years
later, a research center was opened at the same site; aided by
Soviet staff, it continued to operate in 1987. In early 1986,
however, a plan for the construction of nine 440-megawatt nuclear
power plants was suspended indefinitely.
* * *
In the 1970s, relatively few scholarly books were published
about Libya. For a study of the early years of the Libyan
revolution, Ruth First's Libya: The Elusive Revolution is
perhaps the single most authoritative source. Henri Pierre Habib's
Politics and Government of Revolutionary Libya, though
likewise dated, contains useful information, although it is biased
favorably toward the regime. In the early 1980s, several important
books filled the vacuum of information on Libya. Libyan
Sandstorm by John K. Cooley, published in 1982, provides an
entertaining yet meticulously researched journalistic account of
the activities of the Qadhafi regime. Qaddafi and the United
States Since 1969 by P. Edward Haley, published in 1984,
provides a comprehensive and detailed description of Libyan foreign
policy, particularly insofar as it affects United States interests.
In 1986 and 1987, as Libya became more newsworthy, a spate of new
books were published on the topic. Among these, Libya: Qadhafi's
Revolution and the Modern State by Lillian Craig Harris
provides an excellent general overview of the situation in Libya.
Qaddafi and the Libyan Revolution by David Blundy and Andrew
Lycett is a highly critical and well documented probe of Libyansponsored terrorism. Jonathan Bearman's Qadhafi's Libya is
a sympathetic yet informative analysis of the Libyan revolution.
The Making of a Pariah State: The Adventurist Politics of
Muammar Qaddafi by Martin Sicker concentrates on Libyan foreign
relations. The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and
Libya, 1830-1980 by Lisa Anderson looks at Libya in a larger
historical context. Qaddafi: His Ideology in Theory and
Practice by Mohamed A. El-Khawas focuses on Qadhafi's thought.
With regard to the latter topic, the English language translation
of Qadhafi's three-volume The Green Book is widely
available. Likewise, as a primary research source, an English
language version of the Libyan newspaper Az Zahf al Akhdar
is available.
Because of the rapid pace of political change in Libya, books
soon become outdated, and to obtain recent information on the
subject one must rely on news media, in which Libya is well
covered. For further detail, one must turn to specialized
periodicals such as Africa Confidential, African Economic
Digest, Africa Research Bulletin, Middle East
Economic Digest, the Economist Intelligence Unit Quarterly
Reports on Libya, and the chapters on Libya in the annual
Middle East Contemporary Survey. French-language sources
include Le Monde Afrique and Jeune Afrique. (For
further information and complete citations,
see
Bibliography.)
Data as of 1987
Libya is a member of several other regional and international
groups, including the League of Arab States (Arab League), the
Islamic Conference, the Arab-African Development Bank, and the
Islamic Development Bank. As a leading member of the Third World
movement, it has been a strong proponent of the establishment of a
new world economic order between North and South.
Nuclear Development
Qadhafi's stance on nuclear weapons has been contradictory.
Unconfirmed but persistent press reports beginning soon after the
1969 revolution indicated that Libya wanted to purchase a nuclear
weapon or the components for such a device. According to one
report, Qadhafi sent his deputy, Jallud, to Beijing (formerly
Peking) in an unsuccessful attempt to purchase tactical nuclear
weapons. Qadhafi has voiced his concern over the Israeli nuclear
capability and publicly expressed his desire to obtain nuclear
weapons. Nevertheless, in 1975 Libya reaffirmed its commitment to
the 1968 Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed
originally by the monarchy in 1968
(see Foreign Military Assistance
, ch. 5). Qadhafi also stated in interviews in 1981 and
1984 that Libya was only interested in the peaceful applications of
nuclear energy, and he scoffed at the idea of "an Islamic bomb."
There is no doubt, however, that Libya has undertaken extensive
bilateral negotiations to secure nuclear research facilities and
power plants, and many Libyan students in nuclear energy fields
have been sent to United States, West European, and East European
universities to further their studies. According to the terms of a
1974 nuclear cooperation treaty with Argentina, Libya was provided
with equipment and technical training. Argentina agreed to send
senior geologists to Libya to advise on uranium prospecting and
uranium enrichment. One alleged reason Libya occupied the Aouzou
Strip in Chad in 1975 was that the area was thought to be rich in
uranium deposits. Libya and India agreed in July 1978 to cooperate
in the peaceful application of nuclear energy, in line with India's
"atoms for peace" policy. Libya also contributed money to
Pakistan's nuclear effort. France agreed in 1976 to build a nuclear
research plant in Libya designed to power a water desalination
plant.
Libya's main partner in the nuclear field, however, has been
the Soviet Union. A small (ten megawatt) Soviet-supplied reactor
began operation in Tajura (outside Tripoli) in 1981. Three years
later, a research center was opened at the same site; aided by
Soviet staff, it continued to operate in 1987. In early 1986,
however, a plan for the construction of nine 440-megawatt nuclear
power plants was suspended indefinitely.
* * *
In the 1970s, relatively few scholarly books were published
about Libya. For a study of the early years of the Libyan
revolution, Ruth First's Libya: The Elusive Revolution is
perhaps the single most authoritative source. Henri Pierre Habib's
Politics and Government of Revolutionary Libya, though
likewise dated, contains useful information, although it is biased
favorably toward the regime. In the early 1980s, several important
books filled the vacuum of information on Libya. Libyan
Sandstorm by John K. Cooley, published in 1982, provides an
entertaining yet meticulously researched journalistic account of
the activities of the Qadhafi regime. Qaddafi and the United
States Since 1969 by P. Edward Haley, published in 1984,
provides a comprehensive and detailed description of Libyan foreign
policy, particularly insofar as it affects United States interests.
In 1986 and 1987, as Libya became more newsworthy, a spate of new
books were published on the topic. Among these, Libya: Qadhafi's
Revolution and the Modern State by Lillian Craig Harris
provides an excellent general overview of the situation in Libya.
Qaddafi and the Libyan Revolution by David Blundy and Andrew
Lycett is a highly critical and well documented probe of Libyansponsored terrorism. Jonathan Bearman's Qadhafi's Libya is
a sympathetic yet informative analysis of the Libyan revolution.
The Making of a Pariah State: The Adventurist Politics of
Muammar Qaddafi by Martin Sicker concentrates on Libyan foreign
relations. The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and
Libya, 1830-1980 by Lisa Anderson looks at Libya in a larger
historical context. Qaddafi: His Ideology in Theory and
Practice by Mohamed A. El-Khawas focuses on Qadhafi's thought.
With regard to the latter topic, the English language translation
of Qadhafi's three-volume The Green Book is widely
available. Likewise, as a primary research source, an English
language version of the Libyan newspaper Az Zahf al Akhdar
is available.
Because of the rapid pace of political change in Libya, books
soon become outdated, and to obtain recent information on the
subject one must rely on news media, in which Libya is well
covered. For further detail, one must turn to specialized
periodicals such as Africa Confidential, African Economic
Digest, Africa Research Bulletin, Middle East
Economic Digest, the Economist Intelligence Unit Quarterly
Reports on Libya, and the chapters on Libya in the annual
Middle East Contemporary Survey. French-language sources
include Le Monde Afrique and Jeune Afrique. (For
further information and complete citations,
see
Bibliography.)
Data as of 1987
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