Scott interviews Joe Dyke about his coverage of the little-known secret talks between Norwegian diplomats and Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which sought a peaceful end to the war there. Although Norway was a part of the group of countries that decided to begin bombing Libya, the talks remained mostly a secret, and the Norwegian negotiators even had to be evacuated right before the bombing started. According to Dyke’s reporting, Gaddafi was open to a deal that would involve his stepping down peacefully in exchange for legal immunity. The Norwegian government, he says, tried to get Britain and France to agree to a deal like this, but they refused. The result was a brutal war that nearly destroyed one of the wealthiest and most advanced countries in Africa.

Discussed on the show:

• “The secret talks that nearly saved Gaddafi” (Independent)
• “NATO Killed Civilians in Libya and Must Face Responsibility” (Foreign Policy)
• For the Record
  
• A Promised Land
  

Joe Dyke is Senior Investigator at Airwars. He has a decade of experience living and working in the Middle East, carrying out in-depth investigations into conflict-related civilian harm. Follow his work on Twitter @joedyke.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

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