Libya: what’s set to happen at EU’s doorstep?
Libya has been in the headlines since Gaddafi’s rule. The war-torn country became the hotspot for international interests, islamic militias, and migratory routes. After ten years of intense fighting to secure governance, the political situation appears to be at a stand-still. At last, presidential elections have been announced to take place on 24th December 2021. Will a proper peacemaking process be attained?
The birth of Libya
The concept of a unified Libya has never existed in history. Since ancient times there have always been different geographical terms to indicate this territory: Tripolitania (the area of Tripoli طرابلس ), Cyrenaica (the area of Benghazi) برقة and Fezzan فزان . Due to Italian colonization the term Libya re-emerged in 1934, beforehand it was used to describe the name of a tribe, rather than a place.
On December 24th 1951 the Kingdom of Libya declared its independence, under king Idris I. The country had substantial issues ranging from an almost nonexistent infrastructure, to a high illiteracy rate. Following alleged accusations of favoring American and French interests, Nasserist military officials staged a pacific coup d’état in 1969, thanks to which Muammar Gaddafi seized control.
A new institutional model: the Jamahiriya
Thanks to an improving economy, Gaddafi managed to build basic infrastructure across the country, although maintaining control over the vast area proved to be quite difficult. Therefore, on March 2nd, 1977, Gaddafi proclaimed the birth of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The term Jamahiriya comes from the words jamāhīr (masses) and jumhūriyya (republic), being based on the populist-authoritarian conception of power and on the Gaddafi’s “Green Book” political philosophy (encompassing both socialist-pan Arabist and Muslim theories). Direct participation in political life was guaranteed in theory, by people taking part in local assemblies and in popular congresses. It is worth keeping in mind that all political parties were abolished, thus limiting the active participation of citizens. The legislative agenda was exclusively proposed by the people’s general committee. The popular congresses could draft recommendations to the “Guide of the Revolution”, Gaddafi, who could unanimously accept or reject the proposition.
Arab spring’s effects
Following Tunisia’s example, on February 15th, 2011 the Libyan people started manifesting their discontent. Unemployment, a lack of democratic values, and crude repression, quickly led to the creation of several rebel factions. Libya was declared “liberated” of the despotic rule only on 23rd October 2011, after 42 years of Gaddafi’s leadership. The result was a fragile period of peace, during which political polarisation led to weapon proliferation. Gradually, Isil grew in influence, especially in the rural areas. Then, in May 2014, skirmishes broke out.
International interests
The result was a chaotic war, characterised by many factions with various interests. Those involved could be summed up in to four main factions. The first was the House of Representatives, based in Tobruk, fostering support from Egypt, France, Russia, Greece, and Syria among others. The second was the Government of National Accord, based in Tripoli, being supported by Turkey, Iran, Italy, the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations. The third was the National Salvation Government, based in Benghazi, which disappeared in 2017. Lastly, ISIL which was organised in 2014. As of present day it has been immensely weakened.
The 7-years-old war led to an almost complete destruction of civil society. In recent years the fight evolved into a dispute for power between two factions, the Government of National Unity (supported by the House of Representatives) under Khalifa Haftar and the Government of National Accord under Abdulhamid Al-Dabaiba.
The conference on Libya
In 2020, International factions met in Berlin to discuss the country’s future. Under the United Nations’ guidance, a stable pacification process was proposed. The result being the intention to hold elections in the near future.
On 24th December 2021, official presidential elections will take place. Potential candidates include Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Government of National Unity; Saif el-Islam Gaddafi, direct son of Muammar; the head of Parliament Aguila Saleh, and former interior minister Fathi Bashagha.
Final take
Democracy is still a utopian term for several Arab countries. The complex history of each one characterises the unique social organisation, and generally contradicts the move towards a true civic state. As seen in Libya, a weak and divided country affects all its neighbours. Its role as one of the main migratory routes has supposedly challenged Europe’s integrity and its ability to cooperate. As of September 2021, an estimated 50,000 migrants have chosen this route to get to Europe. Undoubtedly, a united European approach would actually be of great help to Libya in rebuilding itself, hopefully as a true democracy.
