U.S.–Libyan Relations Prior to 2011
Normalization, Foreign Assistance, and Counterterrorism Cooperation
The relationship between the United States and Libya has been tense for much of the last 35 years but normalized gradually starting in late 2003. The Libyan Government’s past support for international terrorism, its history of intervention in regional conflicts, and its now-abandoned pursuit of weapons of mass destruction proved to be persistent points of contention with the United States. The Libyan Government has long taken issue with what it regards as unbalanced U.S. military and financial support for Israel and what it describes as unwarranted U.S. intervention in the affairs of Arab states. In the past, these differences led…
