The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail

The deal that got US sanctions lifted off Libya will pay out $4 million a piece to the families of the Lockerbie bombing victims. French victims of another bombing of a plane that Libya was responsible for are also receiving upgraded compensation packages. They had a deal, but it was not as good as what the U.S. got, so they held up the deal until they got a better one too. The deal is symbolic since U.N. sanctions were suspended indefinitely for some time. And the real deal is really getting U.S. sanctions lifted which are still in place and won't go away until Libya complies with U.S. demands to deal with terroism. The major point here though is that contrary to the aims of Al Qeuda, governments like Libya have not become more strident or been toppled. On the contrary, they are either cooperating in some fashion or changing their behavior in response to U.S. pressue. Libya's rehabiliation is yet another example of America's offensive against terror.