Winning the Peace in Libya
By Caroline Holmund
July 13, 2014
In 2011, NATO allies,
beaming with victory, left the newly remade state of Libya hardly stopping to
think of the post-revolution consequences that faced the distraught and
unprepared African country as it began its uphill battle to establish
democracy. Indeed, in times of trouble, the British Prime Minister, David
Cameron would often think back to the Libyan intervention as his ‘happy place.’
In most European circles, the Libyan war is heralded as a success, with many
leaders giving themselves a round of applause over the way their nations
managed to come together and unseat the deplorable Gaddafi and bring ‘power to
the people’ to forge their own destiny.
Abdallah Doma
-------
We Won the War But
Forgot About the Peace
Today, however, Libya
is neither a stable country nor a democratic one, largely due to the
short-sighted meddling of Cameron and his allies who thought that democracy
would rapidly emerge once the dictatorship was overturned. Mirroring the
situation in Somalia, Libya now stands to become Africa’s latest failed state.
Often mentioned but
rarely understood, the situation in post-Gaddafi Libya today is anything but a
clear foreign policy win: the country has been divided into de facto
city-states, with the eastern region of Cyrenaica calling for independence; the
weak and corrupt central government in Tripoli has lost all control of its
people while armed militias run rampant.
The now retired
General Khalifa Haftar, who served under Gaddafi before breaking ranks, has
started his own zealous battle with the Islamists, a movement which has gained
considerable ground in the east of Libya, which will not end until they lay
down their weapons or die trying. Jihadist training camps continue to run
largely undisturbed throughout the whole of Libya, training militants, whether
local or Western, for future conflict. On top of everything else, kidnappings
and murder have become commonplace.
What’s worse, the
country’s lifeline, its oil industry, has been placed in the hands of Ibrahim
Jathran, previously one of the star warriors of the rebel faction. As a token
of appreciation for his ferocious battle feats during the war, he was awarded
the top position as Head of the Petroleum Security Guard. His prestigious
standing, along with the government’s lack of control, has allowed him to claim
the ports and place them under his complete control. With oil production
continuing to plummet and with a toothless government, Jathran has taken upon
himself to export the oil in his own name, taking away the only thing that
endowed Tripoli with even a semblance of power and control.
Democracy Comes To
The Rescue?
All of these
developments go to show that the Libyan state is slowly self-destructing, as
few actors are actually able to stave off the chaotic spiraling of events. The
elections that took place on June 25, meant to create a 200-member House of
Representatives to replace the corrupt and ineffective General National
Congress, were seen by the UN as “an important step towards Libya’s transition
to a stable democratic government.” The elections themselves, however, were
anything but stable and promising. Approximately 1.5 million voters registered
for the election, in comparison to the 2.8 million in 2012, but only 630,000
actually came out to vote, or about 18% of the eligible electorate.
Violence ensued
throughout the country, with clashes between troops and rogue militias leaving
three dead on the streets of Benghazi and armed groups storming Parliament in
Tripoli. About 70 people were killed as a result of violence in the country,
including the prominent human rights activist Salwa Bughaighis, who had just
returned home from voting before being brutally stabbed and shot by masked
brigands. Her husband, Essam al-Ghariani, is still missing after being
abducted.
While the election is
certainly seen as a step in the right direction, it is evident that tensions
are still growing and divisions show no signs of abating, as both political and
militia groups seem determined to prevail over one another. Until these groups
are able to set aside their differences and reach a compromise, the prospect of
a stable and democratic Libya remains far over the hills.
Is A Constitutional
Monarchy The Solution?
Libya’s foreign
affairs minister, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, has expressed support for an alternative
solution to the current mayhem: a return to the pre-Gaddafi system of
constitutional monarchy, which he claims “is the only way Libya will be united
again.” A system similar to other well-functioning democracies, such as the UK
and Spain, with a symbolic figure as the monarch would unite the people of this
fragmented country, stops the bloodshed and brings all sides to the negotiating
table.
Rather than having a
weak bickering parliament, a constitutional monarchy would allow the symbol of
the nation, the monarch, to act as a “political umbrella” and bring together
the interests of the people, while allowing the parliament to enact laws. This
idea should receive the support of neighboring countries, especially Algeria
and Egypt, who are not keen to have an unstable Libya on their borders.
Will The West Ever
Learn?
While three years have
passed since the so-called victory in Libya, Western leaders would be wise not
to let the Libyan state fall off their radar. The on-going instability and
weakness of the government, coupled with the relentless fighting between the
1,000 or so different militias, has resulted in Libya becoming a breeding ground
for jihadist troops whether they be local or Western. Perhaps Cameron and his
fellow Western allies should have thought twice before celebrating their
triumph and rapidly departing, leaving the country with no infrastructure and
inadequate training to establish security and political order for the new
Libyan state.
The West needs to mend
its ways if it is to make strides in Syria by focusing on the long forgotten
state of Libya to save it from another dictatorship or a violent military rule.
Leaders must remember that, as Salwa Bughaighis wisely stated, “getting freedom
doesn’t mean reaching democracy.
Source:
http://www.internationalpolicydigest.org/2014/07/13/winning-peace-libya/
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-and-politics/caroline-holmund/winning-the-peace-in-libya/d/98166