RONALD REAGAN has been claiming that he carried out his attack on Libya because of that country's support for 'terrorism'. Many people have pointed out that this is an absurd lie as the United States itself is the number one terrorist regime in the world — most openly with its support for the Nicaraguan contras.
But Reagan's lie can also be exposed another United States hostility to Libya, and attacks on it, started long before the recent attacks Europe which were seized on by the US as a pretext for its bombing raids. The US has been hostile to Libya ever since the revolution of 1969 which overthrew the reactionary regime of king Idris.
Last week we looked at Qaddafi's place in the rise of Arab nationalism. This week ADAMSON looks at 17 years of continuous US aggression against Libya. •BEFORE Qaddafi seized power in 1969, said US reseen. Reagan, explaining his bombing raid, The people of Libya had been friends of the United States,' dent failed explain measured that friendship. A look at Libya before the revolution of 1969 makes it clear enough, however.
In the good old days, Libya was host to the USA's Wheelus airbase, from which the 1960 airborne 'United Nations' intervention in the Congo was launched. In this operation, the US used the mantle of the United Nations to bring about the murder of Congolese nationalist leader Patrice Lumumba.
Additionally, Libya allowed US and European oil giants to exploit its oil reserves, providing a quarter of Europe's oil at prices way below the world average.
All in all, throughout the 1960s and particularly after the 1967 Middle East war, Libya looked like one of the United States few friends in the region.
Relations between the States and Libya have gone through three phases since World War II During the war, US troops were stationed in Libya. In Libya: Elusive Revolution, Ruth First writes: *By the end of the war, States had spent 100 million dollars on developing Wheelus airfield, the outskirts of Tripoli. It was the first American airbase in Africa.' When the former Italian colony was given independence in 1951, it recame the third independent African cation, after Liberia and Ethiopia. This reflected diplomatic manoeuvres rather than the strength of an incependence movement, however, and Ize newly relied heavily on British and US hanLOUD The country's major exports were Srap metal from old weapons, and grass for paper manufacture. Advertisement VAPO angle.
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adherence withdrawal which While not helping the Libyan peomade the country an ideal target for ana lonowing the discovery of oil in the 1950s, full-scale exports began in the early 1960s.
Knowing nothing of oil, Libya's ruler, King Idris, brought in company who put in place a pricing arrangemement substantially inferior to that of other oil-producing states.
The low price of Libyan oil, its guaranteed availability to the European market, and its low sulphur conmuccasiley pollution. conscious world, combined to make Libya the ideal oil supplier to Europe.
1960s, quarter of 01l came Both the US and Britain competed to supply expensive armaments to the Middle East oil-producing countries up their oil an order to install a complete missile air allow us than a billion it was the largest missile system order ever won bv a British and the most valuable export First/v. . were At the same time, internal opposition to King Idris began to emerge. This was directed against the presence of foreign military bases and the on military To help its friends in the Libyan the United States offered to 'leave'. Ruth First quotes the MOST United Stated government affirmed to lne principle of enabled formulas oil to be found which permitted King Idris and the Libyan government to to continue our use of Wheelus Airfield Base.' The 1 September, 1969, overthrow of King Idris by Colonel Muammar Qaddafi opened the third stage of relations between the two countries.
the huge • weasons contacts dumped. Secondly, foreign powers were asked to withdraw their military bases. Thirdly, Libya took on the giant oil companies and in 1970 forced them to substantially increase payments for Libyan oil.
Results This third move was to have the dramatic results. lea ic of the oil producers' groups, OPEC. In The Seven Sisters, an authoritative account of the world industry, Anthony Sampson quotes one OPEC official as follows.
"The Libyan success was an embarrassment to other OPEC countries. It rendered almost impossible.
Following this early dispute between Libya and the oil giants, the oil companies later response to OPEC price rises, seizing the opportunitv to massivelv increase their own prices and profits.
Nevertheless, Libya had displayed independent economic of keeping European) ideal of subservient Third World raw materials suppliers.
¡wo other Libyan measures also angered the United States. In contrast to the former Libyan policy, and that of other oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, under Qaddati much of Libya's large oil income was redirected from funding a small ellle funding economic development.
Health This include a literacy campaign in the early 1970s, provements in health and education, and an ambitious agricultura grantle aimed at desert areas from huge underground water reserves.
At the same time, undertaken an aggressively independent foreign policy, which on important issues has challenged European and US domination of the region.
In addition to his consistent Duston to brad wadanas taker action against the continued French military presence in central Africa.
Libya blem for United States military planners. Attempts at economic sabotage have proven useless, and unlike some major oil producers, Libya's current its ed tinued to collapse.
for Israel, President Richard Nixon threatened economic measures against Libya. Nixon appeared on television to warn the Libyans of the dangers of a boycott ot oil by Libya's customers, reminding them of the experience of Mosedeq in Iran 20 years before In that case, the United States had economically strangled an independent government before finishing it off with a CIA-organised coup.
managed to avoid this fate, in part because of the changclimate. Nevertheless, the United States has conharass Libya, hoping to develop sufficient internal or external pressure to cause the government's