Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T17:10:00.476Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

3 - Libya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2020

Stephen J. King
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
Get access

Summary

The Libyan case study in Chapter 3 reveals how harrowing the introduction of democratic elections can be in countries without national unity or any of the attributes of a modern state. Qaddafi’s ideology of a stateless, egalitarian society based on an idiosyncratic blend of Islamic and Marxist concepts left Libya’s transitional regime largely without a bureaucratic apparatus to implement policies. Qaddafi had also reinvigorated Libya’s tribal system by favoring his own and punishing the region and tribes that were the base of support for the prior monarchical regime. Competitive elections in Libya were implemented in a country without a national military that could monopolize the use of violence. In its place, during the civil war, a welter of regional, local, tribal, and ideological militias – some more powerful than the “national military” – emerged and prevented transitional governments from being able to provide peace and security for Libyans. There was also a military strongman in Libya, General Haftar, seeking to utilize the near anarchic conditions to forge a military authoritarian regime – by reining in the militias and providing desperately needed security.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Arab Winter
Democratic Consolidation, Civil War, and Radical Islamists
, pp. 157 - 210
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

3News. 2011. “Libya: Zintan Withdrawal Rare Success for Rebels.” 3News, March 24. www.3news.co.nz/Libya-Zintan-withdrawal-rare-success-for-rebels/tabid/417/articleID/203851/Default.aspx.Google Scholar
Abdel-Meguid, A. 2014. “Tebu Tribe: Zidan Is Trying to Frame Us for the Country’s Problems.” Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, January 20. www.aawsat.com/home/article/20571.Google Scholar
Abrahams, F. 2013. “Why Have We Forgotten about Libya?” Global Public Square, March 25. www.globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/25/why-have-we-forgotten-about-libya/.Google Scholar
Ahmida, A. A. 2005. Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Ahmida, A. A. 2019. “Social and External Origins of State Collapse, the Crisis of Transition, and Strategies for Political and Institutional Reconstruction in Libya.” In King, S. J. and Maghraoui, A. M., ed., The Lure of Authoritarianism: The Maghreb after the Arab Spring. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 236263. doi:10.2307/j.ctvfc54tb.13.Google Scholar
Al-Arabiya. 2014. “Libya Torn between Two Parliaments.” Al-Arabiya, August 25. www.english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/25/Egypt-hosts-diplomats-at-Libya-conference-.html.Google Scholar
Al Jazeera. 2011 “The Martyr Who Settled the Battle of Benghazi.” Al Jazeera, March 1.Google Scholar
Al Jazeera. 2014. “Ahmed Maetig: The Youngest Prime Minister in Libya since the Revolution.” Al Jazeera, June 5. www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/libya-new-pm-promises-tackle-violence-2014636355949462.htm.Google Scholar
All Africa. 2013. “Libya: Thousands Detained in Libya Outside State Control.” All Africa, September 24. www.allafrica.com/stories/201309241066.html.Google Scholar
Al-Manar. 2011. “Rebels in Tripoli under the NATO’s Air Support.” Al-Manar. August 22.Google Scholar
Al Riyadh. 2011. “The Death of Qaddafi: Libya Starts a New Era.” Al Riyadh, October 21.Google Scholar
Al-Shaheedi, A. H. and Ezzedine, N.. 2019. Libyan Tribes in the Shadow of War and Peace. Policy brief. The Hague: Clingendael Magazine, February 18. www.clingendael.org/publication/libyan-tribes-shadow-war-and-peace.Google Scholar
Al-Sheikh, M. 2015. “Libya: Strangled between the Presence of Violent Groups and an Unfinished Democracy.” Arab Future Journal, 124–136.Google Scholar
Amnesty International. 2011. Libya: Disappearances in the Besieged Nafusa Mountain as Thousands Seek Safety in Tunisia. London: Amnesty International, May 27. www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE19/020/2011/en/.Google Scholar
Amnesty International. 2012. Militias Threaten Hopes for New Libya. London: Amnesty International, December. www.amnesty.nl/content/uploads/2016/12/libya_i_report_i_militias_threaten_hopes_for_new_libya_-_no_pic.pdf?x65391.Google Scholar
Anderson, L. 1986. The State and Social Transformation in Tunisia and Libya, 1830–1980. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Anderson, L. 1999. “Introduction.” In Anderson, L., ed., Transitions to Democracy, New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 113.Google Scholar
Ashour, O. 2012. “Libyan Islamists Unpacked: Rise, Transformation, and Future.” The Brookings Institution, May 2. www.brookings.edu/research/libyan-islamists-unpacked-rise-transformation-and-future/.Google Scholar
Bassiouni, M. C. 2013. Libya: From Repression to Revolution: A Record of Armed Conflict and International Law Violations, 2011–2013. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.Google Scholar
Beblawi, H. 1990. “The Rentier State in the Arab World.” In Luciani, G., ed., The Arab State. Los Angeles: University of California Press, pp. 8598.Google Scholar
Benotman, N. et al. 2013. “Islamists.” In Pack, J., ed., The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qaddafi Future. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 191228. doi:10.1057/9781137308092_8.Google Scholar
Bloomberg. 2012 “Libya Army in Heavy Fighting with Militias in Beni-Walid.” Bloomberg. December 18. www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-10-18/libya-army-in-heavy-fighting-with-militias-in-beni-walid.Google Scholar
Cadigan, L. T. and Prieston, L. C.. 2011. “Returning Libya’s Wealth.” SovereigNet, n. d. www.sites.tufts.edu/sovereignet/returning-libyas-wealth/.Google Scholar
Charkow, R. 2011. “The Role of Tribalism in Libya’s History.” CBC News, March 1. www.cbc.ca/news/world/the-role-of-tribalism-in-libya-s-history-1.1045638.Google Scholar
Cherstich, I. 2012. “Persecution of Sufis in Libya Is a Relic of Qaddafi’s Stratagem.” The National, December 5. www.thenational.ae/persecution-of-sufis-in-libya-is-a-relic-of-qaddafi-s-stratagem-1.598646.Google Scholar
Clotter, P. 2010. “Rights Researcher Calls for Expanded Libyan Prisoner Compensation.” VOA News, August 7. www.voanews.com/africa/rights-researcher-calls-expanded-libyan-prisoner-compensation.Google Scholar
Daragahi, B. 2011. “Joint Fight with Arabs against Kadafi Spurs Berber Hopes of Equality in Libya.” Los Angeles Times, July 16. www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-xpm-2011-jul-16-la-fg-libya-berbers-20110717-story.html.Google Scholar
Davis, J. 1987. Libyan Politics: Tribe and Revolution. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Eljarh, M. 2014. “Libya: The Lesser of Two Evils.” Atlantic Council, October 22. www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/libya-the-lesser-of-two-evils/.Google Scholar
Elmaazi, A. 2013. “Libyan Society Held Hostage to Trauma.” Al-Akhbar, May 22. www.english.al-akhbar.com/content/libyan-society-held-hostage-trauma.Google Scholar
European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). 2014. “A Quick Guide to Libya’s Main Players.” European Council on Foreign Relations, n. d. www.ecfr.eu/mena/mapping_libya_conflict.Google Scholar
Fetouri, M. 2018. “What Can We Expect from Italy’s Conference on Libya?” Middle East Monitor, November 8. www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181108-what-can-we-expect-from-italys-conference-on-libya/.Google Scholar
Freeman, C. 2013. “Saif Gaddafi Asks for Trial to Be Heard in Zintan rather than Tripoli.” The Telegraph, September 19. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/10321188/Saif-Gaddafi-asks-for-trial-to-be-heard-in-Zintan-rather-than-Tripoli.html.Google Scholar
Global Security. 2014. “Qadhafi Era Opposition.” Global Security, n. d. www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/libya/opposition.htm.Google Scholar
Grant, G. 2012. “Party Profile: The National Forces Alliance.” Libya Herald, July 1. www.libyaherald.com/2012/07/01/party-profile-the-national-forces-alliance/#axzz61mhTugxr.Google Scholar
Haddadt, S. 2011. The Role of the Libyan Army in the Revolt against Qadafi’s Regime. Doha: Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, March 16.Google Scholar
Haraf, B. and Al-Khalidi, S.. 2012. “Bitar Haraf and Sulaiman Al Khaldi, 'Libya Tantafidu Didd 'Ansār Al Sharī'a Al 'Islāmiya Al Libiyah'.” [Libya rises up against Ansar al-Sharia in Libya] Libya Al-Mostakba, n. d. www.libya-al-mostakbal.org/news/clicked/26359.Google Scholar
HuffPost Maghreb. 2014 “Libya: Two Ministers.” HuffPost Maghreb, May 5.Google Scholar
Humans Rights Watch (HRW). 2006. “Libya: June 1996 Killings at Abu Salim Prison.” Human Rights Watch. June 27. www.hrw.org/news/2006/06/27/libya-june-1996-killings-abu-salim-prison.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 2009. “Libya: Free All Unjustly Detained Prisoners.” Human Rights Watch, October 16. www.hrw.org/news/2009/10/16/libya-free-all-unjustly-detained-prisoners.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 2013. “Libya: Wave of Political Assassinations.” Human Rights Watch, August 8. www.hrw.org/news/2013/08/08/libya-wave-political-assassinations.Google Scholar
International Crisis Group (ICG). 2013. Trial by Error: Justice in Post-Qadhafi Libya. Report No. 140. Brussels: International Crisis Group, April 17. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/north-africa/libya/trial-error-justice-post-qadhafi-libya.Google Scholar
International Crisis Group (ICG). 2016. The Libyan Political Agreement: Time for a Reset. Report No. 170. Brussels: International Crisis Group, November 4. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/north-africa/libya/libyan-political-agreement-time-reset.Google Scholar
International Crisis Group (ICG). 2019. Of Tanks and Banks – Stopping a Dangerous Escalation in Libya.” Report No. 201. Brussels: International Crisis Group, May 20. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/north-africa/libya/201-tanks-and-banks-stopping-dangerous-escalation-libya.Google Scholar
Joffé, G. 2013. “Civil Activism and the Roots of the 2011 Uprisings.” In Pack, J., ed.,The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 2351. doi:10.1057/9781137308092_2.Google Scholar
Khalil, M. 2004. “Renaissance in North Africa: The Sanusiyyah Movement.” In Sharif, M. M., ed., A History of Muslim Philosophy, Vol. 2. Delhi: LP Publications, pp. 14561480.Google Scholar
Lacher, W. 2011. “Families, Tribes and Cities in the Libyan Revolution.” Middle East Policy Council, Middle East Policy, 18(4), 142150. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4967.2011.00516.x.Google Scholar
Lacher, W. 2013a. Fault Lines of the Revolution: Political Actors, Camps and Conflicts in the New Libya. Berlin: German Institute for International and Security Affairs. www.css.ethz.ch/en/services/digital-library/publications/publication.html/164123.Google Scholar
Lacher, W. 2013b. “The Rise of Tribal Politics.” In Pack, J., ed., The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 152168. doi:10.1057/9781137308092_6.Google Scholar
Lacher, W. 2014. Libya’s Fractious South and Regional Instability. Geneva: Small Arms Survey. www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/R-SANA/SANA-Dispatch3-Libyas-Fractuous-South.pdf.Google Scholar
Lacher, W. and al-Idrissi, A.. 2018. Capital of Militias: Tripoli’s Armed Groups Capture the Libyan State. Geneva: International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT). June. www.issat.dcaf.ch/Learn/Resource-Library2/Policy-and-Research-Papers/Capital-of-Militias-Tripoli-s-Armed-Groups-Capture-the-Libyan-State.Google Scholar
Laessing, U. 2014. “Libya’s Runaway Parliament Seeks Refuge in Tobruk Bubble.” Reuters, October 2. www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-insight/libyas-runaway-parliament-seeks-refuge-in-tobruk-bubble-idUSKCN0HR1GO20141002.Google Scholar
Lamma, M. B. 2017. The Tribal Structure in Libya: Factor for Fragmentation or Cohesion? Paris: Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique. www.frstrategie.org/web/documents/programmes/observatoire-du-monde-arabo-musulman-et-du-sahel/publications/en/14.pdf.Google Scholar
Lucas, R. 2011. “Libyan Rebel Stronghold Benghazi Rejoices after NATO Air Attack Zaps Gadhafi Forces.” Associated Press, March 20. www.cleveland.com/world/2011/03/libyan_rebel_stronghold_bengha.html.Google Scholar
Mangan, F. et al. 2014. Security and Justice in Post-Revolution Libya: Where to Turn? Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, September 17. www.css.ethz.ch/en/services/digital-library/publications/publication.html/184173.Google Scholar
McQuinn, B. 2012. Armed Groups in Libya: Typology and Roles. Geneva: Small Arms Survey.Google Scholar
Memri. 2011. “Libyan Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Fathi Terbil: The People Who Succeeded in Toppling Al-Qadhafi’s Regime Will Not Allow Others to Hijack the Revolution.” Memri, March 14. www.memri.org/reports/libyan-lawyer-and-human-rights-activist-fathi-terbil-people-who-succeeded-toppling-al.Google Scholar
Metz, H. C. 1989. Libya: A Country Study. Washington, DC: Department of the Army.Google Scholar
Mezran, K. and Eljarh, M.. 2014. The Case for a New Federalism in Libya. Washington, DC: The Atlantic Council, December 23. www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-case-for-a-new-federalism-in-libya/.Google Scholar
Middle East Eye. 2016. “Islamic State in Libya: The Power of Propaganda.” Middle East Eye, January 10. www.middleeasteye.net/news/islamic-state-libya-power-propaganda.Google Scholar
Mokhefi, M. 2011. Gaddafi’s Regime in Relation to the Libyan Tribes. Doha: Al Jazeera Center for Studies. March 20.Google Scholar
Morabito, G. 2013. “Libya: A Great Economic and Political Opportunity for the Global Community.” Medea, November 27.Google Scholar
Murray, R. 2012. “Libya’s Tebu Tribe Hopes for Lasting Peace.” Al Jazeera English, December 3. www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/11/20121118115735549354.html.Google Scholar
Mzioudet, H. 2013. “Failed Candidate for GNC Presidency Resigns His Seat.” Libya Herald, June 26. www.libyaherald.com/2013/06/26/failed-candidate-for-gnc-presidency-resigns-his-seat/.Google Scholar
Najm, M. A. 2013. “Ali Zeidan on Libya’s Struggles.” Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, December 10. www.eng-archive.aawsat.com/michelabunajm/interviews/ali-zeidan-on-libyas-struggle.Google Scholar
Netto, A. 2011. “Muammar Gaddafi’s ‘Trophy’ Body on Show in Misrata Meat Store.” The Guardian, October 22. www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/21/muammar-gaddafi-body-misrata-meat-store.Google Scholar
News 24. 2014. “New Dispute Brewing in Unrest-Riddled Libya.” News 24, February 6. www.news24.com/Africa/News/New-dispute-brewing-in-unrest-riddled-Libya-20140206.Google Scholar
Pack, J. and Barfi, B.. 2012. In War’s Wale: The Struggle for Post-Gaddafi Libya. Washington, DC: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, February.Google Scholar
Pack, J. and Cook, H.. 2015. “The July 2012 Libyan Election and the Origin of Post-Qadhafi Appeasement.” The Middle East Journal, 69(2): 174182. doi:10.3751/69.2.11.Google Scholar
Pack, J. et al. 2014. Libya’s Faustian Bargains. Washington, DC: Atlantic Council, May 5. www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/libya-s-faustian-bargains-breaking-the-appeasement-cycle/.Google Scholar
Pusztai, W. 2012. “Libya – Perspectives for the Security Situation after the Elections.” Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale, July 10. www.ispionline.it/it/pubblicazione/libya-perspectives-security-situation-after-elections-6693.Google Scholar
Rashad, M. 2011. “Libya Today: Omar Al-Mokhtar’s Son Joins the Libyan Protestors in Benghazi.” Youm7, February 21.Google Scholar
Reed, M. 2013. “No End in Sight for Libya’s Oil Drama.” Atlantic Council, September 11. www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/no-end-in-sight-for-libya-s-oil-drama/.Google Scholar
Reuters. 2011. “Libyan Minister Quits over Crackdown – Report.” Reuters, February 21. www.reuters.com/article/libya-protests-resignation-idAFLDE71K1PJ20110221.Google Scholar
Reuters. 2014.“Libyan Islamist Party’s Ministers Resign from Zeidan Government.” Reuters, January 21.Google Scholar
Roth, R. 2011. “UN Security Council Approves No-Fly Zone in Libya.” CNN, March 18. www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/17/libya.civil.war/index.html.Google Scholar
Rustow, D. 1970. “Transitions to Democracy: Toward a Dynamic Model.” Comparative Politics, 2(3), 337363. doi:10.2307/421307.Google Scholar
Shane, S. and Becker, J.. 2016. “A New Libya, with ‘Very Little Time Left.’” New York Times, February 27. www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/us/politics/libya-isis-hillary-clinton.html.Google Scholar
Smith, G. 2011. “Small Rebel Victory Big Moment for Persecuted Berber Tribes.” The Globe and Mail, April 21. www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/small-rebel-victory-big-moment-for-persecuted-berber-tribes/article577334/.Google Scholar
Stephen, C. 2011. “Abdel Fatah Younis: From Gaddafi’s Right-Hand Man to Libya’s Rebel Leader.” The Guardian, July 28. www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/28/abdul-fatah-younes-profile.Google Scholar
St. John, R. B. 2013. “The Post-Qadhafi Economy.” In Pack, J., ed., The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 85111. doi:10.1057/9781137308092_4.Google Scholar
Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium. 2011. “Al-Zintan Revolutionaries’ Military Council (ZMC).” Trackingterrorism.org, n. d. www.trackingterrorism.org/group/al-zintan-revolutionaries-military-council-zmc.Google Scholar
Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium. 2012. “Ansar al-Sharia in Libya (ASL).” Trackingterrorism.org, n. d. www.trackingterrorism.org/group/ansar-al-sharia-libya-asl.Google Scholar
Trabzouni, A.-A. 2014. “Al-Qaqa and Al Sawa’k in Libya: Two Highly Skilled and Well-Equipped Militant Groups.” Al-Arabiya, February 19.Google Scholar
Trend News Agency. 2014. “Libyans Vote for Constitutional Body amid Tension.” Trend News Agency, February 20. www.en.trend.az/world/arab/2244187.html.Google Scholar
Tripoli Post. 2011. “Nations’ Feedback on Libyan Uprising.” Tripoli Post. February 23.Google Scholar
United Nations (UN). 2011. “After Much Wrangling, General Assembly Seats National Transitional Council of Libya as Country’s Representative for Sixty-Sixth Session.” United Nations, September 16. www.un.org/press/en/2011/ga11137.doc.htm.Google Scholar
Vandewalle, D. 2006. A History of Modern Libya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Von Rohr, M. 2011. “Settling Old Scores: Tribal Rivalries Complicate Libyan War.” Spiegel Online, July 26. www.spiegel.de/international/world/settling-old-scores-tribal-rivalries-complicate-libyan-war-a-776695.html.Google Scholar
Wehrey, F. 2012. “The Wrath of Libya’s Salafis.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 12. www.carnegieendowment.org/sada/49364.Google Scholar
Wehrey, F. 2014. “Ending Libya’s Civil War: Reconciling Politics, Rebuilding Security.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 24. www.carnegieendowment.org/2014/09/24/ending-libya-s-civil-war-reconciling-politics-rebuilding-security-pub-56741.Google Scholar
Wehrey, F. 2019. “A Minister, a General, and the Militias: Libya’s Shifting Balance of Power.” New York Review of Books. March 19. www.carnegieendowment.org/2019/03/19/minister-general-and-militias-libya-s-shifting-balance-of-power-pub-78632.Google Scholar
World Bank (WB). 2019. “Country Overview: Libya.” World Bank, n. d., www.worldbank.org/en/country/libya/overview.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Libya
  • Stephen J. King, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Book: The Arab Winter
  • Online publication: 14 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769792.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Libya
  • Stephen J. King, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Book: The Arab Winter
  • Online publication: 14 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769792.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Libya
  • Stephen J. King, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Book: The Arab Winter
  • Online publication: 14 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108769792.004
Available formats
×