The Rule of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi

The World Stage
Over the past decade, Gaddafi had worked to redeem his pariah status and get the economic sanctions that were imposed on Libya lifted. He made a big step on this journey in 1999, when he agreed to hand over the two agents connected to the Lockerbie bombing, and then in 2003, when he sent a note to the U.N. formally accepting "responsibility for the actions of [Libya's] officials" in respect to the tragedy. He also met with Tony Blair (in 2004), Nicolas Sarkozy (in 2007) and Condoleezza Rice (in 2008). In July 2009, he was invited to attend the G-8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, above.

• Lockerbie Bomber's Release Casts a Shadow over Gaddafi Celebration