President Reagan ordered “pre-emptive action against terrorist installations” in the bombing of Libya in response to a terrorist attack in West Berlin, allegedly perpetrated by Libya and its leader Muammar Qaddafi, that killed an American soldier.
Muammar Qaddafi (1942–2011) was the long-time leader of Libya who gained power in a military coup of the country’s government in 1969. Under Qaddafi, the Libyan government committed crimes against its own people and financed various terrorist organizations across the globe, earning the ire of the international community and the United States in particular. Although the US and the United Nations rescinded many sanctions against Libya when Qaddafi made some concessions regarding Libya’s weapons program and turned over suspected terrorists,...