"Chad Irby" wrote in message
. com...
In article ,
"Yama" wrote:
Actually, Libyans began reconcilation with West after 1993, when UN
sanctions ruined shaky Libyan economy. That culminated to turning over
Lockerbie suspects in 1999. USA has kept the sanctions in effect.

...and *nothing* else has happened. Years and years of sanctions, and
they gave up a couple of guys (one of whom is in a "prison" better than
the place most people call home).

On the other hand, one little invasion of a country a thousand miles
away, and Libya gives up their WMD programs. And not to "the
international community," but to Britain and the US.

Perhaps in some weird parallel universe. In reality, Libyans have been
trying to re-estabilish with West since 1986, when US oil companies pulled
out (resulting to considerable loss of oil revenue, made worse by UN embargo
1992). Turning over Lockerbie suspects (of course, only REAL suspect is
Gaddafi himself, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone NOW, funny how that
goes, huh?) was only part of that process. UN sanctions were not ended in
1999, only suspended on the condition that Libyans continue the
"anti-terrorization" process. USA of course had kept it's own embargo, which
continues to hurt Libyan economic prospects. Negotiations have been going on
for *years*. Funny part is that process actually began during Clinton era...

See for example http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3338713.stm

It seems that difference between Saddam and Gaddafi is that Gaddafi actually
seems to learn from the past that illusions of grandeur have a poor pay-off
rate. Or perhaps he is just a better and more cunning diplomat, who knows.

If anything, this whole episode shows how ridiculous and overdone entire
"WMD hysteria" is. Libya has had signifant WMD program for years, without
anyone caring much. Ditto Syria. Yet it was Iraq, with it's supposedly
dangerous WMD capability (in reality, zero or near it) was the country which
had to be invaded...