History UsefulNotes / Libya

The ''[[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya]]'' ( [[OverlyLongName now that's a long name]]) is a North African country located between Egypt and Tunisia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but now improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by MuammarGaddafi (معمر القذافي), a man who has an AmazonBrigade of BodyguardBabes and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:{{Wikipedia}} pronounces it [[MuammarGaddafi Muammar al-Gaddafi]], or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but now improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by MuammarGaddafi (معمر القذافي), a man who has an AmazonBrigade of BodyguardBabes and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it [[MuammarGaddafi Muammar al-Gaddafi]], or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

As a last, curious note: Their flag is completely green (it wasn't always the case, though). The green is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic supposed to represent Gaddafi's devotion to Islam]]. The rebels in the 2011 war have adopted variants of the old flag of the monarchy (red, black, and green horizontal stripes, with a white star and crescent in the middle) as a symbol; thanks to the defection of the Libyan ambassador, it is the flag that flies over the Libyan Mission to the UnitedNations.

In February 2011, Libya has seen armed rebellion related to the recent unrest in the Middle East. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and the rebel ranks include a lot of Libyan soldiers, with the holes plugged by [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. As of now, Gaddafi has lost control of roughly 2/3rds of Libya and been driven out of the capital of Tripoli. The fighting goes on, but he has refused to resign. And on March 19, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him]]. Note that the rebels [[MoralDissonance aren't exactly]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_violations_by_Anti-Gaddafi_Forces squeaky-clean themselves]].

In February 2011, Libya has seen armed rebellion related to the recent unrest in the Middle East. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and the rebel ranks include a lot of Libyan soldiers, with the holes plugged by [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. As of now, Gaddafi has lost control of roughly 2/3rds of Libya and been driven out of the capital of Tripoli. The fighting goes on, but he has refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him]]. Note that the rebels [[MoralDissonance aren't exactly]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_violations_by_Anti-Gaddafi_Forces squeaky-clean themselves]].

In 2003, Mr. 37 Spellings reconciled with the West somewhat, gave up his WMD programme and got Libya taken off the US "state sponsors of terrorism" list. In 2009, he delivered a 96-minute rant at the UN General Assembly against the UnitedNations Security Council, chucking away a copy of the UN Charter and bringing up ConspiracyTheories galore, and made some...[[{{Understatement}} questionable]] statements regarding {{UsefulNotes/Switzerland}}. The fact that Libya chairs the General Assembly at present [[LoopholeAbuse meant he was allowed to do this.]]

The ''Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya'' (Now that's [[OverlyLongName a long name]]), located between Egypt and Tunisia and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by MuammarGaddafi (معمر القذافي), a man who has an AmazonBrigade of BodyguardBabes and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it [[MuammarGaddafi Muammar al-Gaddafi]], or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

In 2003, Mr. 37 Spellings reconciled with the West somewhat, gave up his WMD programme and got Libya taken off the US "state sponsors of terrorism" list. In 2009, he delivered a 96-minute rant at the UN General Assembly against the UnitedNations Security Council, chucking away a copy of the UN Charter and bringing up ConspiracyTheories galore. And made some...[[CloudCuckooLander questi]][[{{Understatement}} onable]] statements regarding {{UsefulNotes/Switzerland}}. The fact that Libya chairs the General Assembly at present meant he was allowed to do this.

* Also used as a source of terrorists in ''BackToTheFuture''.

[[AC:The Libyan flag and the NTC flag (the "new" one, so to speak)]]

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by MuammarGaddafi (معمر القذاف), a man who has an AmazonBrigade of BodyguardBabes and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it [[MuammarGaddafi Muammar al-Gaddafi]], or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

[[AC: The Libyan flag and the NTC flag]]

[[AC: The Libyan flag]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/125px-Flag_of_Libya_svg_8837.png

In February 2011, Libya has seen armed rebellion related to the recent unrest in the Middle East. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and the rebel ranks include a lot of Libyan soldiers, with the holes plugged by [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. As of now, Gaddafi has lost control of roughly half of Libya, with the borders constantly swelling and contracting as the front lines move and the fighting goes on, but he has refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him]]. Note that the rebels [[MoralDissonance aren't exactly]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_violations_by_Anti-Gaddafi_Forces squeaky-clean themselves]].

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by [[MuammarGaddafi معمر القذاف]], a man who has an AmazonBrigade of BodyguardBabes and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it [[MuammarGaddafi Muammar al-Gaddafi]], or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by معمر القذاف, a man who has an AmazonBrigade of BodyguardBabes and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it [[MuammarGaddafi Muammar al-Gaddafi]], or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

In February 2011, Libya has seen [[FlamingFruitVendorsAndAngryArabs armed rebellion related to the recent unrest in the Middle East]]. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and the rebel ranks include a lot of Libyan soldiers, with the holes plugged by [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. As of now, Gaddafi has lost control of roughly half of Libya, with the borders constantly swelling and contracting as the front lines move and the fighting goes on, but he has refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him]]. Note that the rebels [[MoralDissonance aren't exactly]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_violations_by_Anti-Gaddafi_Forces squeaky-clean themselves]].

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by معمر القذاف, a man who has an AmazonBrigade and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it Muammar al-Gaddafi, or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[CloudCuckooLander a bit...]] [[AxCrazy uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

In February 2011, Libya has seen [[FlamingFruitVendorsAndAngryArabs armed rebellion related to the recent unrest in the Middle East]]. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and the rebel ranks include a lot of Libyan soldiers, with the holes plugged by [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. As of now, Gaddafi has lost control of roughly half of Libya, with the borders constantly swelling and contracting as the front lines move and the fighting goes on, but he has refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him.]]

In February 2011, Libya has seen [[FlamingFruitVendorsAndAngryArabs armed rebellion related to the recent unrest in the Middle East]]. [[hottip:*:The rebel's cause basically amounts to...I don't know. [[TerroristsWithoutACause Does anyone?]]]] The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and the rebel ranks include a lot of Libyan soldiers, with the holes plugged by [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. As of now, Gaddafi has lost control of roughly half of Libya, with the borders constantly swelling and contracting as the front lines move and the fighting goes on, but he has refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him.]]

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by معمر القذاف, a man who has an AmazonBrigade and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it Muammar al-Gaddafi, or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[AxCrazy a bit... uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

Of particular note is Libya's relationship with the world, especially during the 1980s. Very widely believed to be a state sponsor of terrorism, arming the IRA among many others (it was and still is anti-Israel), this naturally did not go down well with the USA. There were two incidents in the (claimed by Libya) Gulf of Sidra, where Libyan jets attacked American F-14s and were duly blown out of the sky. Most notable of all was Operation El Dorado Canyon, a 1986 aerial attack by the US, in response to a terrorist attack, that killed the Libyan leader's adopted daughter. Two of these inspired works of fiction.

In 2003, Mr. 37 Spellings reconciled with the West somewhat, gave up his WMD programme and got Libya taken off the US "state sponsors of terrorism" list. In 2009, he delivered a 96-minute rant at the UN General Assembly against the UnitedNations Security Council, chucking away a copy of the UN Charter and bringing up ConspiracyTheories galore. The fact that Libya chairs the General Assembly at present meant he was allowed to do this.

Despite the authoritarian regime, the standard of living in Libya is rather decent, especially if compared to other African countries. This is partly because Gaddafi has genuinely distributed the oil wealth quite well, and partly because it only has to go around 6 million Libyans (as opposed to 30 million Algerians or 70 million Egyptians).

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the [[FlamingFruitVendorsAndAngryArabs widespread unrest in the Middle East and the neighboring North African nations]]. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and numerous soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, [[AxCrazy Gaddafi]] lost control of half of Libya but refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him.]]

As a last, curious note: Their flag is completely green (it wasn't always the case, though). The green is supposed to represent Gaddafi's devotion to Islam. The rebels in the 2011 CivilWar have adopted variants of the old flag of the monarchy (red, black, and green horizontal stripes, with a white star and crescent in the middle) as a symbol; thanks to the defection of the Libyan ambassador, it is the flag that flies over the Libyan Mission to the UnitedNations.

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by معمر القذاف, a man who has an AmazonBrigade and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it Muammar al-Gaddafi, or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[BunnyEarsLawyer a bit... uh,]] [[{{Understatement}} quirky.]]

One of the most authoritarian of the Arab states (but slightly improving), it has been ruled since 1969 by معمر القذاف, a man who has an AmazonBrigade and has had his name [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliterated at least 30 ways]][[hottip:*:TheOtherWiki pronounces it Muammar al-Gaddafi, or Colonel Gaddafi for short.]]. He is universally considered [[BunnyEarsLawyer a bit... uh, quirky.]]

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the [[FlamingFruitVendorsAndAngryArabs widespread unrest in the Middle East and the neighboring North African nations]]. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and numerous soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, Gaddafi lost control of half of Libya but refused to resign. And even more recently, [[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1 the U.N. approved of military action against him.]]

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the [[FlamingFruitVendorsAndAngryArabs widespread unrest in the Middle East and the neighboring North African nations]]. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and numerous soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, Gaddafi lost control of half of Libya but refused to resign.

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the widespread unrest in the Middle East and the neighboring North Africa nations. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and numerous soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, Gaddafi lost control of half of Libya but refused to resign.

As a last, curious note: Their flag is completely green (it wasn't always the case, though). The green is supposed to represent their devotion to Islam.

''Libya in fiction''

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the widespread unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and several soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, Gaddafi lost control of most of Libya but refused to resign.

As a last, curious note: their flag is completely green (it wasn't always the case, though). The green is supposed to represent their devotion to Islam.

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the widespread unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and several soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, Gaddafi lost control of most of Libya but refused to resign

In February 2011, Libya has seen major protests that spilled over from the widespread unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. The response, involving machine gun fire and air strikes, has been condemned worldwide, and several soldiers and politicians resigned and defected because of the orders. As of now, Gaddafi had lost control of most of Libya but refused to resign

Despite the authoritarian reigme, the standard of living in Libya is rather decent, especially if compared to other African countries.