 He regarded this system as a practical alternative to the then-dominant international models of Western capitalism and Marxism–Leninism.He laid out the principles of this Theory in the three volumes of "The Green Book", in which he sought to "explain the structure of the ideal society".The Libyan studies specialist Ronald Bruce St. John regarded Arab nationalism as Gaddafi's "primordial value", stating that during the early years of his government, Gaddafi was "the Arab nationalist par excellence".