Carrots, sticks, and bombs: The end of libya's WMD program

The United States and Libya resumed diplomatic relations in December 2008, after Colonel Muammar Qaddafi announced that the country decided to discontinue its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program. A number of factors have influenced the government of the country to change its policy. The George W. Bush administration and its supporters argued that Qaddafi had taken such a decision to avoid military operation by the US. He took such a decision immediately after the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, which demonstrated that America was to remove hostile regimes by force. Other analysts emphasized that he took such a decision due to the impact of long-term factors, such as continued economic sanctions and the latest economic incentives, pursued by the United States by its Western allies and the United Nations.