Mercurial Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has pulled off another coup. Last week's announcement that Libya would give up all its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has turned the former pariah into an international statesman. Surprising though the move may have seemed, it was the result of a long process -- and a victory for diplomatic engagement even with so-called rogue states. The verification of Col. Gadhafi's surprising decision would permit Libya's complete international rehabilitation.
Libya has long topped the list of "rogue states." The country has been accused of supporting terrorists. In addition, the government has been suspected of trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Despite the charges, Libya always denied having a WMD program.
That changed last week, when the Libyan government not only admitted it had such a program, but announced that it was ready to give it up. Libya then invited a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its facilities and verify that it was abandoning its WMD ambitions. Libyan officials said they were ready to sign the additional protocol of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which allows special inspections of nuclear facilities. If Libya follows through, it will be only the second country, after South Africa, to voluntarily disarm.