Qaddafi, Muammar
[ (mooh-uh-mahr, mooh-ah-mahr kuh-dah-fee) ]
A Libyan military officer and political leader of the twentieth century. The ruler of Libya and a militant Arab (see Arab-Israeli conflict), Qaddafi is fervently opposed to the influence of the United States in the Mediterranean Sea region, especially its influence on behalf of Israel. The United States has accused Qaddafi of planning terrorism, which he now claims to renounce.