Exit the Colonel

January 14, 2013
The four-decade reign of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi springs to life in this complicated history. Centering on an in-depth retelling of the 2011 Libyan uprising, Chorin traces Gaddafiâs rise from 27-year-old army colonel,to head of state, followed by his violent end after being pulled from a drainage pipe near his hometown of Sirte. Chorin provides context to the dictatorâs extended rule, highlighting the Westâs gentle handâand even complicityâin dealing with rampant human rights abuses and connections to international terrorism (like the Lockerbie bombing), while angling for opportunity in the oil-rich country, thus justifying any challenges of working with the regime. He also contrasts Gaddafiâs often bizarre, paranoid behaviorârambling, hours-long speeches (with a government minister literally whipping the crowd to applause) and long-held grudges over minor political slightsâwith the fearless cunning and greed that seems to have kept him in power. U.S. economic and commercial attaché in Tripoli from 2004 to 2006, Chorin translated contemporary fiction from the region in 2008âs Translating Libya: The Modern Libyan Short Story. His leap to historical and political analysis of a largely underexamined regime isnât perfectly cohesive, but its broad scope offers a timely glimpse into the story of modern Libya.

October 1, 2012
A firsthand account of the fall of Gaddafi and the processes that caused it. Chorin (Translating Libya: The Modern Libyan Short Story, 2008), co-founder of a trauma center in Benghazi and one of the first U.S. diplomats to return to Libya after the lifting of international sanctions in 2004, considers the 2011 intervention "one of the largest ironies of the Libyan revolution," examining how, in the seven years after sanctions were lifted, arms sales and commercial deals were permitted to proceed. The author makes a strong case that the U.S. and U.K., in particular, "were so obsessed with completing other narratives on terrorism and counter-proliferation...that they never stated what Gaddafi was expected to do...to remain in their good graces." Consequently, he was allowed to conclude significant oil and gas deals, which generated funds for the purchase of weapons and systems that strengthened his internal police state. Chorin details the divisions within the Bush administration on how to proceed, while highlighting those who believed "Gaddafi's conversion was about as likely as sticky three-fingered aliens landing on the White House lawn." The author situates his narrative within a discussion of Libya's history, providing background on the discovery of oil and the origins of the industry and tracing the roots of the regime to the scars left by the Italian occupation under Mussolini. He discusses the existing internal and external oppositions and shows how Gaddafi used his rehabilitation to both co-opt and eliminate opponents. While Libya's revolt appears to have erupted suddenly, Chorin ably demonstrates how failed policies of the past contributed to its inevitability. A strongly written book that sheds new light on a still-developing story.

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