Combining a historian's balance with an analyst's insight to skilfully navigate Libya's eventful past and present, Ronald Bruce St John updates his authoritative history of this turbulent North African state to include an in-depth examination of the 2011 rebellion that finally put an end to over 40 years of authoritarian rule by Qadaffi. From early Greek settlements to the infamous Lockerbie bombing, and from the colonel's astonishing return to the international stage to the events that led to his ousting, this stands as an essential introduction to this complex land on the cusp of Africa and the Middle East. Ronald Bruce St John is a scholar of Libya, having consulted to ABC's 20/20, the New York Times, Fortune 500 companies, and the U.S. government. Now an analyst for the progressive think tank Institute for Policy Studies, he has also served on the advisory board of The Journal of Libyan Studies and the Atlantic Council's working group on Libya. A former military intelligence officer in the US army, he is the author of Libya and the United States and Qaddafi's World Design, among other books.