El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi

Naval War College Review, Winter 2004
"...a fine study in combating terrorism...deserves a place on the shelf of anyone interested in America's current conflict."

Choice, May 2003
"A valuable book... Highly recommended."

Sea Power, May 2003
"A study in diplomacy, strategy, and the unique challenges involved when dealing with terrorists."

Marine Corps Gazette, August 2003
"...chilling similarities between U.S. foreign policy with Libya in 1986 and Iraq in 2003."

Air Power History, Winter 2003
"[A] thoroughly researched and even-handed account."

The New York Militray Affairs Symposium Review, Autumn 2003
"...an impressive work. It will stand for some time to come as the definitive study on the subject."

Book Description
America's war on terrorism did not start on 11 September. Long before the overt war in Afghanistan and the covert war against al-Qaida, U.S. forces struck at one of the hotbeds of terrorism in the world. On 15 April 1986, in the dead of night, American strike aircraft roared into the very heart of Muammar Qaddafi's Libya, attacking carefully selected targets and nearly killing the "brother leader" himself. Code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, the raid was in direct response to Qaddafi's support of a terrorist act against U.S. service personnel stationed in Europe and was a result of President Ronald Reagan's pledge to respond to terrorism with "swift and effective retribution." Stanik, a retired naval officer and Middle East scholar, provides a detailed account of the raid as well as an in-depth analysis of its causes and effects. He also describes three other hostile encounters between U.S. and Libyan forces during Reagan's presidency and details U.S. covert operations. From a bombing in Berlin, West Germany, to terrorism in the skies over Lockerbie, Scotland, from the halls of power in Washington to airbases in England and the decks of American warships in the Mediterranean, Stanik has woven a truly international thriller that is all too real and forebodingly relevant to current events. A study in diplomacy, strategy, high-level policy, deck-plate operations, and the unique challenges offered by a new brand of evil, this book is required reading for a better understanding of the ongoing war on terrorism.


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"America's war on terrorism did not start on 11 September. In 1986, long before the overt war in Afghanistan and the covert war against al-Qaida, U.S. aircraft struck at the heart of Muammar Qaddafi's Libya, attacking carefully selected targets in one of the world's hotbeds of terrorism. Code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, the raid was in direct response to Qaddafi's support of a terrorist act against U.S. service personnel stationed in Europe and the result of President Ronald Reagan's pledge to respond to terrorism with "swift and effective retribution."" Stanik, a retired naval officer and Middle East scholar, provides a detailed account of the raid as well as an in-depth analysis of its causes and effects. He also describes three other hostile encounters between U.S. and Libyan forces during Reagan's presidency and recounts U.S. covert operations. From a bombing in Berlin to an explosion in the skies over Lockerbie, from the halls of power in Washington to airbases in England and the decks of American warships in the Mediterranean, Stanik has woven a truly international thriller that is all too real and forebodingly relevant to current events. A study in diplomacy, strategy, high-level policy, deck-plate operations, and the unique challenges offered by a new brand of evil, this book is required reading for a better understanding of the ongoing world war against terrorism.


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