ABSTRACT

The government of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,

commonly known as Libya, underwent a remarkable transformation over

the past decade. Once an international outcast, Libya re-established com-

mercial and diplomatic relations with most nations of the world, including

the United States. Domestically, it began to evolve from a socialist com-

mand economy to a Western-style free market system in which its citizens

were increasingly expected to fend for themselves. Only the domestic poli-

tical arena escaped meaningful change.