Libyan-French Connection Rekindling?

It seems a long time ago that Muammar Gadaffi was the root of all evil, doesn't it? Those were the good old days of "Freedom of Navigation" ops (remember the "Line of Death"?) and VF-32 Tomcats picking on kids coming off the short bus.

Of course, Gadaffi has done an "Abominable Snowman after the dental work" and made nice with the world, right? Well, Joe at DID has an interesting report about Libya's recent outreach to . . . wait for it . . . FRANCE.

Here's a bit:

Libya's military has traditionally been Soviet supplied, alongside some equipment from France. The demise of the Soviet Union, the 1990s drop in oil prices, and Libya's pariah status all combined to choke military modernization but Libya's new political direction, and the rise in oil prices, are changing that. Unsurprisingly, there have been widespread reports in recent days that France and Libya have signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering arms deals worth up to EUR 4.5 billion, including the first foreign sale of the Rafale fighter. Has France learned the lessons of Morocco and Saudi Arabia? Can the Rafale find an export home at last? Will the deals come to fruition?

See the rest here.

Meanwhile, Christian and I are flying back from corporate headquarters on the west coast, so we'll be post-light for the rest of today. See you for the Sunday Paper.

-- Ward