Week 9-10 Checks / Notable Terms & Ideas

Libyan political system under Qaddafi

Claimed to be a “people’s democracy” (Jamahiriya) but was in reality an authoritarian regime centered on Qaddafi’s rule.

Basics of Libya's economy, size, and population

Oil-rich North African nation with ~6–7 million people; oil exports dominated its economy, but wealth distribution was uneven.

Libyan foreign policy changes under Qaddafi during 1990s and 2000s

Shifted from sponsoring terrorism to reconciliation with the West, accepting responsibility for past attacks.

US cooperation with Libya on counterterrorism and security concerns

After 2003, Libya worked with the U.S. to combat Islamist extremism, including groups like the LIFG.

End of Libya's WMD programs

In 2003, Qaddafi gave up nuclear and chemical weapons, improving relations with the U.S. and Europe.

Muammar Qaddafi (Gaddafi)

Ruled Libya from 1969–2011; promoted his “Third Universal Theory”; overthrown and killed during the Arab Spring.

Ronald Reagan

U.S. president (1981–1989) who confronted Libya, calling it a state sponsor of terrorism and authorizing the 1986 airstrikes.

Libyan Fighting Group (LIFG)

Islamist group formed in the 1990s to overthrow Qaddafi; some members later joined al-Qaeda.

Ibn Sheikh al-Libi

Libyan militant; captured post-9/11; his coerced false testimony linked Iraq to al-Qaeda training camps.

Muattasim al-Qaddafi

Qaddafi’s son and national security adviser; key regime figure until killed in 2011.

La Belle Disco bombing

1986 Berlin nightclub attack linked to Libyan agents; killed U.S. servicemen and led to U.S. retaliation.

Operation El Dorado Canyon

1986 U.S. airstrikes on Tripoli and Benghazi ordered by Reagan after the Berlin bombing.

Downing of Pan Am 103 ("Lockerbie bombing")

1988 bombing over Scotland that killed 270; Libya took responsibility and paid compensation in the 2000s.

Benefits of the Qaddafi regime for the European Union

Qaddafi helped the EU limit migration across the Mediterranean and supplied key oil and gas resources.

Benefits of the Qaddafi regime for the United States

After renouncing WMDs in 2003, Qaddafi cooperated on counterterrorism and opened Libya’s oil market to U.S. firms.

Start of the Libyan uprising

Began in February 2011 as part of the Arab Spring, with protests demanding the end of Qaddafi’s 42-year rule.

Qaddafi's response to the Libyan uprising

He used military force against protesters, calling them “terrorists” and triggering international outrage.

Non-US calls for foreign intervention

France, the UK, and Arab states pushed early for a no-fly zone to stop Qaddafi’s attacks on civilians.

White House decision-making on intervention

Obama’s team debated action; Clinton and Rice backed intervention, while Gates and Biden urged caution.

Basics of UNSC Resolution 1973/2011

Authorized “all necessary measures” to protect Libyan civilians, including a NATO-enforced no-fly zone.

Muammar Qaddafi

Libya’s ruler from 1969–2011; his authoritarian rule ended when rebels overthrew him during the Arab Spring.

Mehdi Ziu

Libyan revolutionary who died driving an explosives-filled car into a Qaddafi checkpoint, inspiring rebel forces.

Nicolas Sarkozy (France)

French president who led the push for military intervention, framing it as a humanitarian duty.

David Cameron (UK)

UK prime minister who joined France and the U.S. in leading NATO’s Libya campaign to protect civilians.

The National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya

Political body representing anti-Qaddafi forces; it led the opposition and became Libya’s interim government.

Susan Rice

U.S. ambassador to the UN who championed action in Libya and helped pass Resolution 1973.

Robert Gates

U.S. Defense Secretary skeptical of intervention, warning about mission creep and limited U.S. interests.

Joe Biden

Then–Vice President who opposed intervention, wary of another long U.S. military entanglement.

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State who strongly supported intervention to stop civilian massacres and uphold U.S. credibility.

During the Egyptian uprising, the Obama administration, including its top people giving news interviews on television, slammed the Egyptian president as “a brutal dictator.”

False

Which of the following countries had a major popular uprising in 2010 or 2011?

Egypt

What was the first of the six Arab countries to experience a major popular uprising in 2010-2011?

Tunisia

What was the last of the six Arab countries to experience a major popular uprising in 2010-2011?

Syria

The Arab uprisings of 2010-2011 invited comparison with which of the following historical events?

The Eastern European revolutions of 1989.

How many of the Arab rulers who were in power on January 1, 2011 lost power within the next fourteen months (by March 1, 2012) because of major popular uprisings (with or without foreign assistance for the people rising up)?

Four

The main difference between US intervention in Libya in 2011 and US intervention in Iraq in 2003 was that in Libya the United States was not claiming to be protecting Americans from a gathering threat.

True

Muammar Qaddafi ran an authoritarian regime, but he designed it to take the outer form of:

A government that fit his personal theory.

Thanks to Libya’s _____, Qaddafi had plenty of money to run his regime.

substantial oil resources.

Which US president responded to an alleged Libyan terrorist attack against US soldiers with airstrikes inside Libya?

Ronald Reagan.

The 1988 downing of Pan Am 103 (the “Lockerbie bombing”) was officially connected to the leadership of which country?

Libya

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Qaddafi:

Condemned what al-Qaeda had done and helped the United States prosecute its Global War on Terror.

By 2010, the US-Libyan relationship was deteriorating and there were signs that Qaddafi might be the next target of a US-led regime-change war.

False

At the start of 2011, the United States government had little awareness about Qaddafi’s lengthy record of arbitrarily detaining, torturing, and using lethal force against Libyans.

False

The uprising against Qaddafi began in _______.

Benghazi

Which of the following figures took the lead in building the initial case for military intervention against Qaddafi?

President Sarkozy (France).

Which of the following best describes White House decision-making on a potential  intervention in Libya?

Obama’s top advisors were split, but he tipped toward intervening.

What lawmaking body or bodies (if any) had approved Obama’s initial use of force in Libya?

Only the UN Security Council.

In his March 19, 2011 remarks on “Limited Military Action in Libya” President Obama said that US ground troops could be deployed at a later date, but only for peacekeeping operations.

False

According to the sketch, the countries most likely to receive a Daily Show “Freedom Package” will display what kind of traits or circumstances?

Lucrative economic opportunities and limited defensive capabilities.

Mohammed Bouazizi

Street vendor from Tunisia whose self-immolation in 2010 sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

President Ben Ali

Authoritarian president of Tunisia who was overthrown during the 2011 uprising.

President Mubarak

Longtime Egyptian leader ousted in 2011 after mass protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

President Obama

U.S. President during the Arab Spring; balanced support for democracy with regional stability.

Vice President Biden

U.S. Vice President during the Arab Spring; part of Obama’s foreign policy team responding to uprisings.

Uprising

A mass movement of citizens protesting against government oppression or corruption, often seeking regime change.

Arab Uprisings of 2010–2011 (Arab Spring)

A wave of pro-democracy protests and revolutions across the Arab world demanding reform and justice.

Differences in outcomes across Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Syria

Each uprising had distinct results: Tunisia saw a democratic transition; Egypt returned to military rule; Yemen descended into conflict; Bahrain faced repression; Libya and Syria fell into civil war.

Differences between Arab outcomes and Eastern European outcomes (in 1989)

Eastern European revolutions generally led to more stable democratic transitions, while Arab uprisings often resulted in instability, civil war, or authoritarian resurgence.

US response to Egyptian uprising

The U.S. initially acted cautiously, later urging Mubarak to resign while maintaining relations with Egypt’s military.

What was a major long-term consequence of the Arab Spring?

Some authoritarian regimes survived, while others collapsed, leading to ongoing instability in places like Libya and Syria.

What role did international actors play in shaping the outcomes of Arab Spring uprisings?

NATO’s military intervention was decisive in Libya but absent in Syria, where opposition forces struggled.

Why did Tunisia and Egypt experience relatively rapid leadership changes, while protests in other countries led to prolonged conflict or failure?

Their militaries refused to use force against protesters, weakening the regimes.

What event is commonly credited as the catalyst for the Arab Spring?

The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia.

This lecture segment introduces what general theme about US-Syrian relations through 2024? 

The expected costs of direct military intervention in Syria deterred presidents from both parties. 

Which of the following best describes Syrian history since 1980? 

30 years of dictatorship, followed by nearly 14 years of civil war that eventually brought indigenous regime change. 

For the time period addressed in lecture, Syria and Iraq had what in common? 

Both countries were ruled by members of an ethnic minority. 

Which of the following made it unlikely for Syria, under Hafez and Bashar al-Assad, to be taken off the State Sponsors of Terrorism list? 

Lack of peace between Syria and Israel. 

Hafez al-Assad was linked to what attack that killed 241 American servicemembers? 

Bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon (October 1983). 

After September 11, 2001, Bashar al-Assad and Muammar Qaddafi had what in common? 

Publicly denounced al-Qaeda’s attack and quietly aided America’s war on terror.

Why did the Canadian government apologize to Maher Arar in 2007? 

Canada had been part of Arar’s wrongful rendition and imprisonment in 2002-2003. 

Which amendment in the US Constitution stops the government from depriving individuals of their liberty without due process? 

Fifth

Which of the following best describes the outcome in the case of Arar v. [versus] Ashcroft? 

The US justice system dismissed Arar’s lawsuit on national security grounds. 

For Obama and all of his advisors, the moral case for using American military force to save lives in Libya was convincing. 

False

Among NATO countries, the strongest advocate for intervening militarily in Libya was

France

The lecture draws contrasts between Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003 and Operation Odyssey Dawn (in Libya) in March 2011, but one could say that the two wars had this in common: 

The initial combat operations went relatively well for US forces. 

When did President Obama publicly embrace the goal of regime change in Libya? 

Toward the end of the first month of US military operations (April 15, 2011).

As of June 18, 2011 (or so), what made Obama’s military operations in Libya distinct from the ongoing Afghanistan (2001-) and Iraq (2003-) wars, and also different from shorter interventions such as the invasion of Panama (December 1989-January 1990)? 

It occurred outside the legal 90-day window in which the US President may use force without congressional authorization. 

The war and revolution in Libya during February 15-October 23, 2011 was the first Arab uprising in which: 

The opposition removed the ruler from power and killed him 

Compared to Operation Enduring Freedom (in Afghanistan), Operation Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector (in Libya) cost the United States: 

Much less in terms of lives lost and dollars spent.

After Qaddafi’s government fell, the Obama administration became less concerned about anti-American terrorist cells operating in Libya. 

False

In the lecture segment and in Lindsey Hilsum’s interview, which of the following issues tended to drive a wedge between Libyans in the post-Qaddafi political landscape? 

The question of having a secular government or a religious one.

When Libyans cast ballots in elections in 2012 and 2014, what contribution did the US military provide on the ground? 

The US military was not involved in these post-Qaddafi elections.

Khalifa Haftar, an ex-general turned warlord, _______________ 

Suppressed Libya’s religious militias in the east. 

Which of the following is true about members of Ansar al-Sharia, the group linked to the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and CIA annex on September 11, 2012?

They shared some beliefs with members of al-Qaeda. 

Speaking in 2014, Obama said that if the United States had not helped Libyans topple Qaddafi in 2011, Libya would have ended up looking like: 

Syria

According to Mann, what was the primary reason the U.S. intervened in Libya?

A mix of multilateral pressure and Obama’s desire to avoid appearing passive in the face of an Arab uprising.

How did Obama's approach to the Libya intervention differ from previous U.S. regime-change wars?

He stressed burden-sharing, ensuring NATO allies led the campaign after initial U.S. involvement.

How does Mann describe Obama’s decision-making process on Libya?

As a 51-49 decision, reflecting deep uncertainty and competing pressures.

Why was the Arab League’s support for intervention in Libya significant?

It gave the intervention regional legitimacy and helped secure UN backing.

What concerns did U.S. officials have about the Libya intervention, according to Mann?

Some, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, worried that intervention was unnecessary and that Libya was not a vital U.S. interest.

Hafez al-Assad

Syrian president from 1971 to 2000 who established an authoritarian regime centered on the Ba'ath Party and Alawite elite control.

Bashar al-Assad

Succeeded his father in 2000; continued authoritarian rule, using brutal tactics to suppress dissent and preserve regime power.

Maher Arar

Canadian engineer wrongly detained by the U.S. in 2002 and sent to Syria, where he was tortured; his case became a symbol of extraordinary rendition abuses.

Hamah massacre of 1982

A violent crackdown by Hafez al-Assad’s forces on Islamist insurgents in Hama, killing thousands and crushing opposition.

Syrian leadership succession of 2000

After Hafez’s death, his son Bashar al-Assad assumed power, signaling regime continuity rather than reform.

Experience of Maher Arar in US and Syrian custody

Arrested by U.S. authorities post-9/11, sent to Syria under rendition, and tortured before being released without charges.

Ethnic demography of Syria

A diverse mix of Arabs, Kurds, Alawites, Christians, and Druze; the regime relied heavily on the Alawite minority for loyalty.

Political system of Syria 1970–2024

A one-party authoritarian state dominated by the Ba’ath Party and the Assad family, with limited political freedoms.

General Syrian-US relations during 1981–2010

Marked by tension and mistrust over terrorism, Israel, and Lebanon, with occasional cooperation on security issues.

State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSTs) list

A U.S. list designating nations that support terrorism; Syria was added in 1979 for backing groups like Hezbollah.