The Foreign Service Journal, September 2004

American investment. American energy companies had not been allowed to pump their Libyan wells since 1986, but as of June the wells began pumping again, and American companies such as ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Mara- thon, Amerada Hess and Occidental began new exploration into Libya’s untapped resources. Though Qadhafi seems to have turned a new leaf in his relations with the international community, his enig- matic and obstinate persona has not changed. Upon the death of President Ronald Reagan in early June, Qadhafi expressed regret that Reagan never stood trial for ordering the reprisal bombings of Libyan tar- gets in 1986. Similarly, Libya initially insisted that all foreign companies sign a letter declaring that they had no dealings with Israel before they would be allowed to operate in the country, a requirement since dropped under pressure from the U.S. During the long hiatus in relations, familiarity with developments in the country and knowledge of its people and their history has been limited in the U.S., confined mostly to academic specialists. For more background, there are a number of online sources. Both the CIA World Factbook chap- ter on Libya ( http://www.cia. gov/cia/publications/factbook/ge os/ly.html ) a nd the State Depart- ment Background Note ( http://www. state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5425.htm ) are current as of 2003. The Library of Congress has a detailed history of Libya from antiquity to 1987 ( http:// lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/lytoc.html ). A short overview of Libya’s disar- mament story produced by the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress in April 2004 fills in some recent history ( http:// www.policyalmanac.org/world/ archive/disarming_libya.pdf ). A March 2004 report from the American Enterprise Institute advocates a cau- tious approach to Libya’s new turn ( http://www.aei.org/docLib/2004 02271_%2316423graphics.pdf ). A State Department report details human rights abuses in Libya in 2003 ( http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/ hrrpt/2003/27933.htm ). One easy-to-use Web site collects all the latest news about Libya from international media ( http://www. libyadaily.com ), m aking current developments easier to follow. — Kristofer Lofgren, Editorial Intern C Y B E R N O T E S 16 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 4