I lived in Tripoli for just under 5 years starting in 1982. Americans were ordered out by the US government in early 1982. Canadians & other nationalities picked up the ball in a number of sectors. Tripoli, the major city, was in poor shape. read more
Libya under Gaddafi used to have a higher GDP (PPP) per capita than the EU, and in some periods higher than the US. Remaking of the economy was parallel with the attempt to remold political and social institutions. read more
• Libya had no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – though much of this is now frozen globally. Gaddafi wrote, “They want to do to Libya what they did to Iraq and what they are itching to do to Iran. read more
Libya under Gaddafi was not so much terrible as the world has been made to accept. The subjects did not have the advantage of voting but rather Gaddafi ensured they had an elevated requirement of living to adjust for diminished opportunities. read more
Libya under Gaddafi had no functional parliament or other legislature. It was a police state whose rules were determined by an individual. Violation of those rules was dealt with as he felt fit, sometimes by citing"Libyan law", sometimes by piques of anger and a desire for the personal destruction of an offender. read more