[RLK]

Moscow had decided in 1972 to use three leftist Arab governments — Libya, Iraq, and Syria ...

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1972 was a long time ago. Khaddafi was a much younger man with younger ambitions that he could pursue by playing the Americans off against the Soviets. Now he is tired and aging to the point where he is barely recognizable. He has nobody to play against anybody else to become important. He, and Libya's race are just about run. The only left for him is to play up to the United States and hope someone will throw him a bone.

[LibKill]

The only (thing) left for him is to play up to the United States and hope someone will throw him a bone.

We'll do it. We will even leave him to be a (powerless) figurehead in a new Lybian government.

It's not what he deserves, he deserves a hanging rope.

But, we are real busy cleaning up all the stupidity on this planet, so we'll let him have a powerless old age.

[Noumenon]

Khaddafi pinned his hopes to the Pan Arabism that he helped to foster and by whatever means. He saw himself as leader of the movement as did every other despot in the vicinity. Reagan set him straight to some extent. Those images of Saddam were the final straw.