Libya has a short volatile history. Foreigners played a significant role in shaping Libya's
institutions and policies and this book explores longer term trends in the relations between
Libya and the West placing current developments in their historical context. Throughout
history the globe's most powerful actors have regarded Libya as an outlier state of little
significance. Libya belonged neither here nor there and never fell under the full protection of
any significant global or regional powerhouse. Libya's weak national identity its weak
institutions and its peripheral position have made it vulnerable to external influences and
interventions. As a result Libya repeatedly falls prey to foreign powers wanting to flex their
muscles. As this book narrates this was the case in 1911 in 2011 and several times in
between.
