His rehabilitation will sicken families whose loved ones were killed at Lockerbie and in Northern Ireland by bombs supplied by Libyan agents. Muammar Gaddafi is today, though, a close ally in the fight against international terrorism. As one observer told me on a recent visit to Libya: “If there is one thing that keeps Gaddafi up at night, it is probably the threat of Islamic fundamentalism.” The eyes and ears of his pervasive police state work closely with Western agencies in the fight against global jihad. His return to the top table of international politics began in 2003 when he surrendered his weapons of mass destruction programmes. He delivered the Lockerbie bombing suspects for trial. And in November 2008 he agreed to a $1.8 billion compensation package for bomb victims. His relationship with the West was revived at a stroke and the pariah state opened its doors to foreign trade.