Utilizing articles regarding Libya’s reconstruction after the ousting of the Gaddafi regime I focused this week on the insurgency of militant groups. In an article from News Week Author Dirk Vandewalle paints a picture of the extent to which Gaddafi’s reign completely dismantled all structure within Libyan society. He uses the phrase “a political tabula rasa” which is Latin for a political blank slate, conveying that Libya is tasked with ultimately rebuilding their society from scratch, which is a burden that typically takes countries centuries to complete. He highlights major events that led to the downfall of both the Gaddafi regime and the Libyan state and how these components have fueled the fire of civil unrest, provoking the rise of armed militant groups to compete for future power over Libya. Controversies in Globalization deems the Libyan conflict as a “low-grade low-tech civil war” which is why the UN and US have been reluctant to intervene beyond humanitarian aid.
Coupled with this, my other articles basically lay out the dynamic of these militant groups, conveying their values and desires for Libya’s future highlighting their motives and values. The root of the issue is that when the GNC took power, they funded the militant groups for their own insurance rather than working towards their disbandment. The Islamist coalition dominated parliament, and as chaos deepened and they realized they would loose the election, they just delayed having one all together. The forces are basically pro-Haftar and Operation Dignity verus pro-Congess and Islamist Operation Dawn. In other words, Islamist and Islamist affiliates versus secular. The Author says “We are like a class of kids where the bad teacher is suddenly dead,” he said. “Now we all fight each other.” When the light finally comes to a country that was for so long in the dark, it is excruciatingly blinding.