10 September 2008/ Molly Tarhuni, Manager, International Security Programme: The arrival of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Libya last week marked the end of a busy summer for Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi.

The past two weeks alone have seen a string of landmark moments in Libya's foreign relations. Having just celebrated 39 years in power, the newly crowned 'King of Kings of Africa' now has plenty to boast about.

Rice's visit to Tripoli - a sign of warming relations between the US and Libya, which began to thaw in 2003 after Libya announced its decision to relinquish its WMD programme - comes on the heels of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who recently signed an unprecedented $5 billion reparations agreement for Italy's 32 years of colonial occupation that ended in 1943.

Having secured both an apology and pay-out from the 'colonial oppressors', Qaddafi has also recently secured American compensation to Libyan victims of the 1986 air raids on Tripoli and Benghazi that involved the death of his adopted daughter. As part of the comprehensive $1 billion deal signed by US and Libyan officials last month, Libya has also agreed to compensate the families of victims of the 1986 bombing of the La Belle discotheque in Berlin and the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, facilitating a new phase of US-Libyan relations.

Such material and emotional recognition of Western culpability is a surprising yet undeniable achievement for Qaddafi, easily marketable in Libya and across the Middle East as another example of the Leader's self-styled resistance to Western domination and a snub to regional Arab leaders for having 'sold out'. Rice's visit alone will have single-handedly bolstered the regime's standing, both domestically and regionally (as an African, Arab and Islamic state) while undermining the arduous efforts of Libya's genuine reformers over the past few years.

Marking an official American seal of approval in recognition of Libya's long but rapid road back to recovery, Rice's visit is being sold by the State Department as a reward to the Libyan regime for its efforts to reengage internationally in a positive manner - take note Iran and North Korea. But with three months left in office, looking for a legacy, and with little else to boast about in the region, it is no surprise that the Bush Administration is keen to highlight what it sees as its Libyan success story. Yet while the first visit by a US Secretary of State in 53 years has made for catchy headlines, beyond the symbolic and grandiose introduction to this 'new' chapter of US-Libyan relations, future chapters, while yet to be penned by the next US Administration, already bear the imprint of the all too familiar tale of 'good dictatorships', democratic compromise and lucrative financial returns.

With a bilateral US-Libyan trade agreement currently under negotiation, the Libyan regime is blissfully aware that any discussions concerning human rights abuses, freedom of the press and other such issues will never detract from the overarching priority of international commercial and strategic interests. With international companies and world leaders tripping over themselves in their scramble back into Libya for a stake in the country's vast oil wealth, Qaddafi knows he has leverage. The regime feels vindicated, reformers are disillusioned and the US should be cautious.

This is not to detract from the laborious efforts of government officials on both sides (helped in no small part by the UK). However, serious questions remain as to the sincerity of Libya's commitment to genuine reform. Whether or not the Libyan people will actually benefit from Libya's return to the fold remains to be seen. Those expecting any substantial changes will likely be disappointed.