A History of Modern Libya

In the wake of the civil war and Qadhafi''s demise the time is ripe for a new edition of Dirk Vandewalle''s classic history of Libya. The book which was originally published in 2006 traces the country''s history back to the 1900s through the Italian occupation in the early twentieth century the Sanusi monarchy and thereafter to the revolution of 1969 and the accession of Qadhafi. The following chapters analyse the economics and politics of Qadhafi''s revolution offering insights into the man and his ideology as reflected in his Green Book. The new edition covers the intervening years since 2005 when courted by the West Qadhafi came in from the cold. At home though his people were disillusioned and economic liberalization came too late to forestall revolution. In an epilogue the author reflects upon Qadhafi''s premiership and the legacy he leaves behind.