The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in
1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World
War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved
independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar
al-QADHAFI assumed leadership and began to espouse his political system
at home, which was a combination of socialism and Islam. During the
1970s, QADHAFI used oil revenues to promote his ideology outside Libya,
supporting subversive and terrorist activities that included the downing
of two airliners - one over Scotland, another in Northern Africa - and a
discotheque bombing in Berlin. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI
politically and economically following the attacks; sanctions were
lifted in 2003 following Libyan acceptance of responsibility for the
bombings and agreement to claimant compensation. QADHAFI also agreed to
end Libya's program to develop weapons of mass destruction, and he made
significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations.
Unrest that began in several Middle Eastern and North African countries
in late 2010 erupted in Libyan cities in early 2011. QADHAFI's brutal
crackdown on protesters spawned a civil war that triggered UN
authorization of air and naval intervention by the international
community. After months of seesaw fighting between government and
opposition forces, the QADHAFI regime was toppled in mid-2011 and
replaced by a transitional government. Libya in 2012 formed a new
parliament and elected a new prime minister.
