During the early 1970s, Gaddafi formulated his own particular approach to Arab nationalism and socialism, known as Third International Theory, which has been described as a combination of "utopian socialism, Arab nationalism, and the Third World revolutionary theory that was in vogue at the time".
Pada awal dasawarsa 1970-an, Gaddafi merumuskan pendekatannya sendiri mengenai nasionalisme dan sosialisme Arab yang disebut Teori Internasional Ketiga, yang telah digambarkan sebagai perpaduan "sosialisme utopis, nasionalisme Arab, dan teori revolusioner Dunia Ketiga yang populer pada masa itu."