ABSTRACT

Libya’s ‘September One Revolution’ that initiated the 42-year-long rule of Muammar al-Qaddafi in 1969 took the United States Embassy in Tripoli completely by surprise. American diplomats had long anticipated a coup d’état; however, no one expected it to be led by a small group of young, unknown army officers. American officials in Libya and the United States argued for months over who was in charge of the new government and the direction it would take. Was this simply a coup d’état or the beginning of a deeper socio-economic and political revolution? The failure of American diplomats to understand better the One September Revolution from the start led to policy decisions that would affect bilateral relations for years to come.

摘要

利比亚在1969年发起了长达42年的卡扎菲统治时期的“九月一次革命”，使美国驻的黎波里大使馆完全感到惊讶。美国外交官早就预料到会发生政变; 然而，没有人期望它会由一小群年轻的，未知的军官领导。利比亚和美国的美国官员就谁负责新政府及其未来发展方向争论了数月。这仅仅是政变还是更深层次的社会经济和政治革命的开始？美国外交官从一开始就无法更好地理解“九月革命”，这导致了可能影响未来数年双边关系的政策决定。