http://www.history.com/photos/libya The recent crisis in Libya is only the latest development in a long and tumultuous history of relations between the North African nation's leader, Muammar el-Qaddafi, and the West. en Copyright 2013, History.com Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-21T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo1 In the fall of 1969, Muammar el-Qaddafi changed the course of Libya's history by overthrowing the monarchy and proclaiming the new Libyan Arab Republic. It was the start of over 40 years of rule for the ambitious 27-year-old colonel, who had been born in a Bedouin tent and embraced pan-Arabism. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo2 In the 1970s, Qaddafi pursued his goal of unifying all Arab states into one nation. His efforts failed and served to jeopardize Libya's relationship with its neighbors. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo3 Relations between the Qaddafi regime and the West deteriorated in April 1986 when Libyan terrorists bombed a Berlin disco, killing three people and injuring 230, including 50 U.S. servicemen. Based on evidence that Qaddafi ordered the attack, the United States carried out air strikes on Libya. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo4 In this photo taken on April 14, 1992, Libyans carry portraits of Qaddafi as they demonstrate to mark the anniversary of U.S. air attacks on Tripoli and Benghazi in 1986. According to the state-controlled Libyan media, the operation killed dozens of people, including Qaddafi's adopted daughter. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo5 On December 21, 1988, a bomb exploded aboard Pan Am Flight 103 while the plane was in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground. The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Libya to pressure Qaddafi's government to give up two suspects. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo6 After a visit to Libya by Nelson Mandela in 1997, Qaddafi handed over the two suspects in 1999. In 2001, a Scottish court convicted Abdel Baset al-Megrahi of the Lockerbie bombing and sentenced him to life imprisonment. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo7 After the fall of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003, Qaddafi changed course after decades of anti-Western policies, renouncing support for terrorism. Libya also formally accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to pay $2.7 billion to victims' families. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo7 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo8 As a result of Qaddafi's reversal, the United Nations Security Council voted to lift sanctions on Libya in September 2003. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo8 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo9 In September 2009, Qaddafi addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York for the first time, drawing protesters accusing him of human rights violations. His inflammatory speech lasted 90 minutes. At one point, he appeared to tear a copy of the United Nations charter. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo9 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo10 With unrest spreading through much of the Arab world, massive political protests against the Qaddafi regime began in February 2011. On March 2, Qaddafi spoke at a ceremony of loyalists to mark 34 years of "people power." http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo10 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo11 As the uprising gained momentum throughout March, Qaddafi's troops cracked down on antigovernment protesters in Benghazi and Tripoli with brutal force. Reports reached the international community that hundreds of protesters had been killed. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo11 http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo12 Spearheaded by France and Britain, which vowed to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, the Security Council voted to authorize military action to prevent loyalist forces from attacking civilian protestors. On March 19, American and European forces began air strikes against Qaddafi and his government. http://www.history.com/photos/libya/photo12