Neutralizing Qaddafi: Containing Libyan Aggression

Publication Date: November 1981

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Ian Butterfield

Research Area: International relations

Keywords: Middle East

Type: Report

Abstract:

In assessing the nature and extent of the Libyan threat to the interests of the Western powers and their allies, this paper will address four central questions: 1. What is the full breadth and depth of Libyan interference in the private affairs of independent nations? 2. Does Muammar Qaddafi possess a secure home base from which to conduct his aggresive foreign policies? 3. Are Qaddafi's armed forces truly a threat to Libya's neighbors, particularly Egypt and Sudan? 4. What measures should the U.S. and its allies take to contain and counterbalance aggressive Libyan policies?