Tank Fixer wrote:

: What was Libya's incentive to negotiate and submit to inspections ?

This may not be the correct view: Lybia has offered to
accept inspections before. What's new is that Bush and
Blair accepted the Lybian proposals: Probably mainly
because they needed a success very much, although of
course better terms may have been negotiated now.

As for Khaddafi's motives, the economy of the country
is in ruins after years of sanctions; the oil industry
doesn't function any more. This situation is a threat
to the existence of the regime -- there has already
been an islamist rebellion -- and ultimately to the
survival of the "great guide" himself. This is a very
good time for Khadaffi to trade in an expensive and
probably useless WMD programme for an economic boost
and (horresco referens) the opportunity to be praised
as a "great statesman" by western leaders.

That Lybia feared an US invasion now is unlikely.
"Colonel" Khaddafi probably understands as well as
anyone that the US army is already overstretched with
its tasks in Afghanistan and Iraq, that another
operation of this kind would not be welcomed by the
US public, and that the presidential elections are
getting near.

--
Emmanuel Gustin