Mired down—punctuation questions

0 I am involved in helping to edit a manuscript written in English by a Swede whose grasp of the language seems to be insufficient to properly express his ideas. As an editor, I am an amateur, and lots of the fine points of punctuation are fuzzy in my mind, which sometimes leaves my head spinning when I am faced with passages like the following: 02br
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00From the beginning of the fiery dispute of the two rivals demonising each other (something déja vu in Ronald Reagan's Presidency (1980–1988) who epitomised Muammar Al-Khadaffi as 'le génie du mal' in other words: the personification of evil!) much points to the fact that G. W. Bush's war was premeditated with the presumption to bring a new order and quick peace in a country long coveted for its strategic position and oil resources.12blockquote

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00I changed the passage to read like this: 02br
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00The fiery dispute, in which each side demonized its rival, reminds one of how Ronald Reagan (US President from 1980–88) epitomized Muammar Al-Khadaffi as ‘le génie du mal,’ or ‘the personification of evil.’ The facts suggest that George W. Bush’s war on Iraq was a premeditated and presumptuous attempt to quickly bring a new order and peace to a country long coveted for its strategic position and oil resources.12blockquote

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00I have changed spellings to American English because the book is intended for an American readership. 02br
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00I would like some members criticize anything in this that is still wrong, and make suggestions for improvement. Some specific questions I have include— 02br
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00Is my use of single quotes correct? 02br
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00Should 'le génie du mal' be in italics instead of single quotes? 02br
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00Is 'epitomized' used correctly? 02br
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00Thanks for any enlightenment you can give. This is one of dozens of such passages in the manuscript, and sometimes I have a hard time even knowing what is meant. 0-