ABSTRACT
The image of a nuclear-armed Libya has become a symbol of the dangers posed by unrestrained proliferation. Libya has made little progress toward the goal, in part because the country is the object of a de facto international embargo of nuclear transfers. Libya appears to have garnered little from its open nuclear cooperation agreement with India, concluded during the tenure of Indian Prime Minister Moraji Desai. In 1982, Libya began negotiations with Belgonucleaire for the purchase of a plant for producing uranium tetrafluoride. Libya’s demonstrated willingness to use chemical weapons has contributed to international concerns over the plant. Tripoli even sought to ease tensions with the United States in 1989; these tensions had intensified in years following Washington’s condemnation of Libya’s military adventurism and support of international terrorism. The Reagan Administration had imposed anti-terrorism sanctions against Libya in January 1986, prohibiting US companies from trading with the country and US nationals from traveling there.
