Ignored amid the feverish speculation over Japan's next prime minister and the rumored illness of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was a development of real significance: the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Libya. Her stopover marks the highest-ranking U.S. visit there in over half a century. Just as important, it could begin a new era in U.S.-Libya relations and signals what is possible when "rogue states" make the strategic decision to respect international norms.

Relations between the United States and Libya have been troubled since 1972, when the American ambassador was withdrawn after Mr. Moammar Gadhafi, the country's supreme leader, tore up agreements with the U.S. and made Washington his public whipping boy. The sacking of the U.S. Embassy in 1979 prompted Washington to cut relations. A war of words continued with Mr. Gadhafi delighting in blaming the U.S. for all the world's ills, a charge that was reciprocated. Relations worsened in 1986 when then U.S. President Ronald Reagan accused Libya of ordering the bombing of a German discotheque that killed three people. After dismissing Mr. Gadhafi as "the mad dog of the Middle East," the U.S. bombed targets in Tripoli and Benghazi. Three years later, Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, claiming 270 victims. A lengthy investigation identified the culprit as a Libyan intelligence official, who was found guilty of murder.

Negotiations that led to the handover of the official — aided by international economic sanctions against Libya — and the eventual $2.7 billion settlement with the families of the Pan Am victims opened the door to wider normalization talks. That process was helped along by the discovery that Libya was actively pursuing the development of weapons of mass destruction. Seizure of a shipment of parts for those programs gave Tripoli ample reason to come clean about those efforts, a move that helped break the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling ring.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored in 2006. Last month the two governments settled remaining claims relating to the bombing of the Berlin disco and Libyan claims for deaths caused by the subsequent U.S. bombing.

The visit by Ms. Rice, the first secretary of state to visit since 1953 and the highest ranking U.S. official since then Vice President Richard Nixon stopped over in 1957, "demonstrates the United States does not have permanent enemies. It demonstrates that if countries are prepared to make strategic changes in direction, the United State is prepared to respond."

Mr. Gadhafi seeks investment. Libya has more than 3 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, but its infrastructure is creaking, the result of the international sanctions. European leaders have sought to re-establish ties with Tripoli. French and British leaders visited the country last year. Italy just agreed to pay $5 billion in compensation for its three decades of colonial rule and will get "billions" in business deals in return. Mr. Gadhafi is equally eager for U.S. companies to join the bidding. Equally important, Libya also wants to invest in the U.S.: It has a $50 billion sovereign wealth fund that it seeks to put to good use.

While companies are hungry to invest in Libya, other issues remain on the table. Libya has long been charged with human rights violations. Human Rights Watch, for example, accuses Tripoli of serious violations of human rights: "The continued arrests and incarceration of political prisoners, some of them 'disappeared'; the torture of detainees; the absence of a free press; the ban on independent organizations; and violations of women's and foreigners' rights plague the country as it tries to reintegrate with the international community. The country is dominated by one leader, who tolerates no unsanctioned criticism of his rule or Libya's unique political system." The U.S. has pressed Libya to improve its record and Ms. Rice promised to keep up the pressure on her visit.

The most important element of the Rice visit is the promise of a new relationship. The U.S. has insisted that "rogue" governments must make the "strategic choice" to re-enter the community of nations. If they do so, and respect international norms, then they can receive all the benefits of that community. Libya is the test case for this foreign policy.

The argument omits, however, another important element of the rehabilitation process. Washington likes to credit the seizure of the WMD shipment in 2003 and the Iraq war for spurring Tripoli to act, but talks between Libya and Britain and the U.S. had been under way for years. Officially, Libya was ostracized, but behind the scenes there were discussions. This is the lesson of the Libya case. Forcing isolation alone does not bear results. A mix of carrots and sticks — internationally mandated, to give them credibility and legitimacy — will succeed. In short, there is no substitute for patient and persistent diplomacy.