Libya, From One Ruler to Many

Now in the year 2013, over a year since the revolution in Libya seemingly ended when Moammar Gaddafi was killed by Libyan rebels, the country is still plagued by political violence. Before the Arab Spring began the region was in a state of relative stability compared to now, with Hosni Mubarak still comfortably in power in Egypt, and Gadhafi sitting at the helm of Libya. When these uprisings began to sweep across the Middle East, both of these leaders knew that the craze for democracy would come to their lands. Hosni Mubarak decided that it was not worth the fight to stay in power and stepped down, Gadhafi decided to fight. 

Moammar Gaddafi was internationally renowned for his eccentricity, from his sense of style, to his all female bodyguard squad. He seemed to live in his own world and in his forty-two years of rule he committed many human rights violations. When his country rose up against him, he denied that there was any chance of them successfully overthrowing him, even when the rebels started to gain secure footholds within Tripoli. How was such a man able to hold power for such a significant amount of time?

This article sheds some light on the subject for us. Gaddafi controlled his country for forty-two years through deception and misdirection, constantly shifting the political climate of his country and keeping world leaders on their toes with radical shifts in policy. Indeed it seems as if Gaddafi managed his remarkable four-decade rule through distraction.

When the overthrow of Gaddafi's government finally occurred and Gaddafi was killed, the country began its transition to democracy, or so everyone thought. The revolution had weakened the state and it's infrastructure so much that the militia groups that helped overthrow the dictator refused to turn the country over to such a weak government. Effectively, the country traded one strong willed ruler for hundreds of paramilitary groups that have carved up the remnants of the Libyan state and refuse to yield to the existing government for fear of letting some of the dictatorial ways back into the government. These groups have created a combat atmosphere that is not much different from the revolution that the country supposedly just ended. These militias attempt to cooperate, but often times there are disagreements and fights break out between groups.

What all of this leads me to wonder is this; is Libya better off now than it was? Is this gangland style atmosphere better than being oppressed by one ruler for forty-two years? And why can't the country pull itself together? The state is too weak to put these groups down or make them fall into line, and there is little trust between party's at present. This would need to change before the country can start to rebuild itself. The only way to gain trust from these military groups would be for the state to show that it is capable of creating good governance and make steps towards unifying the country once again. However if the country continues to take its time with these matters, we will see the country slip into Paul Collier's conflict trap, as it will become harder for the militia groups to relinquish the power they have obtained from the chaos.