Diplomacy: Marriage of Convenience

In the annals of diplomacy, there are few suitors more ardent than Muammar Gaddafi. During his 15-year reign, the Libyan leader has proposed formal alliances with Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Chad, Sudan and Algeria. None of those marriages has endured.

Yet Western diplomats were surprised last week when Gaddafi signed a "union of states" agreement with Morocco's King Hassan II. The two nations are the region's oddest couple. While Libya is a radical socialist state, Morocco is a traditional monarchy; while Gaddafi is a sworn enemy of the U.S., Hassan is a firm ally.

The liaison, of course, has less to do...

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