History Lesson

Is it any wonder Libya is screwed up? BBC News - History through Libyan eyes

The Italians, the British and the US have each had a role in making Libya what it is today - a bloody mess.

First the Italians invaded during World War 1. By WWII, Mussolini sent 100,000 to concentration camps.

The British took over after WWII, but weren't a lot better.

The name Omar Mukhtar was soon being heard as nationalists rallied people to their cause - the British responded by closing their newspaper.

There was even greater fury when London came up with a plan in 1949 to divide its three main regions between itself, France and, incredibly, Italy, the former colonial power.

The US put a stop to that because Libya had become important in the Cold War.

Independence and the discovery of oil made things more complicated when Qaddafi & Co. overthrew the king. Nationalizing oil production made him an enemy of Cold-War-America.

For a fairly complete timeline of Libyan history, see this link.