ABSTRACT
Foreign policy, one of the most complex aspects of policymaking in advanced industrialized societies, is difficult to trace to any particular agency, group, or individual because so many interest groups and institutions are involved in the decision-making process. By contrast, the foreign policy of small Third World nations is often determined by an individual or a small clique. Despite changes in the foreign policy of one regime in contrast to that of another, many of the ultimate objectives remain the same because the primary determinants of the policy remain constant. A new regime may have to take into consideration the interests of social institutions even in foreign policy matters or else risk antagonizing them and creating a domestic opposition that is difficult to eradicate. Libya's foreign policy since independence in 1951 has been shaped first by King Idris I and his cabinets and then by Mu'ammar al Qadhdhafi.
