Tripoli, Libya
Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi threatened this week to pull his country out of the Arab League, charging that the 22-nation body was “impotent.” Libyan officials said Qaddafi was disgusted with the league’s continued failure to achieve its founding goal of “liberating” Palestinian territories. The final straw for him, they said, was Arab countries’ inability to present a united front even to combat U.S. “aggression” against Iraq. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa rushed to Tripoli to try to talk Qaddafi down. “Libya needs to stay with its Arab sisters,” Moussa said, because its defection could spark a domino effect that would sever Arab alliances and “cause chaos across the Middle East.” Moussa said he will convene an emergency Arab League meeting to discuss Qaddafi’s complaints.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Maha Kumbh Mela: world's largest religious festival gets under way in IndiaIn The Spotlight Politics of Hindu nationalism has cast a shadow over event touted as biggest ever gathering of humanity
-
North Carolina Supreme Court risks undermining its legitimacyUnder the radar A contentious legal battle over whether to seat one of its own members threatens not only the future of the court's ideological balance, but its role in the public sphere
-
Crossword: January 14, 2025The Week's daily crossword
