In three pages this paper examines the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, dictator of Libya and includes a background on how he seized power, a brief history of Libya, the current state of the country, assesses democratic influences, and regional characteristics, and also considers the freedoms Americans might not have if they were citizens of Libya. Four sources are listed in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: TG15_TGgaddafi.rtf
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population comprised of Arab Sunni Muslims (Witherbee, 2009). Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi (often spelled Qaddafi in the West) (1942 - ) has been the dictator of Libya since 1969.
Because the monarch of eighteen years, who represented the interests of oil companies at the expense of the public interest, Gaddafi was able to successfully capitalize on the Kings political
vulnerability and oust him in a successful coup on September 1, 1969 (Witherbee, 2009). Gaddafi established what he referred to as the "Third Universal Theory," which is in reality
a stringent military dictatorship (Witherbee, 2009, p. 1). Prior to Gaddafis dictatorship, the government of Libya was a hodgepodge of tribes
and settlements, including the Berber tribal peoples whose civilization is traced back to the coastal areas of 2000 B.C. (Witherbee, 2009). Later, Libya became the African crown jewel of
the Roman Empire, but after its decline, invasions by Byzantine, Carthaginian, and Ottoman empires ravaged the the region, destroying all cities with the lone exception of Tripoli, and decimated its
political structure (Witherbee, 2009). During the seventh century, the Arab takeover of Libya, provided government stability and brought economic prosperity to the region. However, this period of calm
was fleeting because when the Turkish Empire wrested control from the Arabs, a prolonged period of chaos ensued until Libya was seized by Italy in 1911 (Witherbee, 2009).
After the Italian Fascists were defeated in World War II, British and American allies established an interim government that would pave the way
for King Idris (Witherbee, 2009). Libya finally achieved its long overdue independence on December 24, 1951, which lasted until Gaddafi toppled Idris regime (Cavendish, 2001). Although not in