[Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.]

Mentioning then dismissing comparisons of ordinary people's economic and social conditions in Libya with that in her neighbors and with pre-revolution times, political scientists from the US and regional scholars from Europe condemn the government of Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi for not fulfilling the ambitious goals he set out to achieve in 1969. Primarily they return to the fact that the country is still dependent on the export of oil and has failed in its attempts to develop agriculture and industry. They predict the collapse of the regime and the high standard of living when Qadhafi dies.