Research+Paper-Libya

Cleo Yahn Mr. Mettee 30, March 2011

Libya: A Bomb-Happy, Desolate Tract

 With the Mediterranean Sea to the North and six bordering countries at all other encompassing directions, Libya is recognized for its dessert terrain, Islamic culture and problematic tendencies. The former Roman colony, Libya once fought against the Arabs, Turks, Vandals, and the Byzantines. In a more recent time, the Italians superseded the Ottoman Turks in 1911, as they took over the area around Tripoli, Libya’s capital. Following the Second World War in 1943, the Italian’s supplant ended. Shortly after, Libya gained independence in 1951 by passing to UN administration. The state gained wealth eight years later once oil was discovered. Ten years passed till the next event when King Idris was overthrown in a bloodless coup led by the young twenty-seven year-old, Muammar Qaddafi. Qaddafi’s focus was creating a revolution born from a strong conviction of wanting to distinguish Libya from the world that once swallowed it. Muammar Qaddafi saw himself as a revolutionary, he saw Libya becoming a central state though, what he did not see was Libya’s recent days that realistically show Libya’s incompetency, struggle, and lack of humanity as an independent country.

 After being unable to take part in the “scramble for Africa,” which Europe paneled Africa, Italy seemed to be “missing the boat” on all attempts to venture out overseas colonies. Being aware of this, Italy decided to open its horizons to more recognizable countries in Africa, besides its already obtained small areas in East Africa. The problem was, France already had a bordering territory around the area Italy sought, Tunisia. This inconvenience did not faze the Italians because they were convinced that they have more of a right to Tunisia since they were closer in range.

Even though they were closer in proximity, Italy was denied Tunisia. Libya then became Italy’s next target, as it was the only part of North Africa left. Libya was a province controlled by the Ottoman Turks till the late 20th century. The goal for many European nations was to obtain colonies with beneficiary locations, and Libya to its north side was bordering the Mediterranean coastline. During Libya’s colonization, the Ottoman Turks changed Libya’s rule from on of autonomous to direct administration. The administration of officials that ran the colony for seventy-seven years unknowingly prepared Libya for its future independence. On the basis that Libya was “within the sphere of Italian influence,” Italy disingenuously declared war on the Ottoman Turks, hence the Italian-Turkish War. Many wars followed leading to Libya’s independence in 1951: the First World War, The first Italo-Sanusi War, the Colonial War, and the Second World War.

 When Muammar Qaddafi took reign in 1969 with “an iron fist,” (NY Times) he released ideas that projected an alternative to communism and capitalism, meanwhile keeping the faith of Islam alive. In this system called a Jamahiriya, translated as a “state of the masses,” Libya’s people would implement the combination of socialism and Islamic traditions through “direct democracy.” The intent of Qaddafi’s system was to raise Libya’s popularity though, when it was put in action, it was more of an erratic control over a still relatively undeveloped area.

From the 1970s through the 1980’s, Qaddafi wanted to spread his ideology to neighboring areas. Using the money gained by oil surplus, Qaddafi was able to support forces that would speed up the process of ending Marxism and capitalism. The Lockerbie bombing of Pan AM Flight 103 suspended the rise of Libya, as reported by BBC news, “Libya, once shunned by much of the international community over the 1988 bombing of a Pan AM plane above the Scottish town of Lockerbie, underwent a dramatic rehabilitation after taking formal responsibility for the bombing in 2003.” (BBC News) Till 2011, Libya’s reputation seemed to be improving on a positive note. Its first step was announcing its end to terrorism, which by June of 2006 concluded Libya’s assigned sponsorship to terrorism. In 2008, a “bilateral comprehensive claims settlement agreement” was dually signed by the US and Libya. By signing, the two countries agreed to “compensate claimants in both countries who allege injury or death at the hands of the other country,” including bombings like that of Lockerbie. With a 1.5 billion pursuant there was normalization between the two countries.

 The current situation of Libya is on the front page of every paper. One’s mouths can only drop to words of reporters as they write about the war Muammar Qaddafi has caused. The history of Qaddafi’s intentions seem to better Libya, though present day, “perhaps the most significant force that Colonel Qaddafi has deployed against the current insurrection is one believed to consist of about 2,500 ruthless mercenaries from countries like Chad, Sudan and Niger that he calls his Islamic Pan African Brigade.” (NY Times) It is almost ironic to look back at 2010, when Libya was elected its first three-year seat on the UN Human Rights Council, and know that just a year later (present day), Libya would be in a moral-less state.

 In February of 2011, the “Day of Rage” (NY Times) broke out in the edgy city of Benghazi in Tripoli and three other areas to test Qaddafi’s “iron rule” of 41 years. Colonel Qaddafi was known for keeping the Libyan army of fifty thousand, too weak to plot against him, “as they are poorly trained and unreliable conscripts, according to the //Center for Strategic and International Studies.// ”(NY Times) On February 25th, security forces used gunfire to scare protestors after they attended their prayer ceremonies, as it was the beginning of disputes and rebel group alliances because of the governments concentrated efforts on Tripoli. As armed forces protected the city, the United Nations Security Council voted to impose permits on Qaddafi and called for an “international war crimes investigation into widespread and systematic attacks against Libyan citizens.” (NY Times) The Western areas knew air power was Qaddafi’s most powerful advantage to regaining oil towns on the east coast of Libya, and decided to take “all necessary measures” to protect Libya's civilians by disarming all “air defense systems.” This immediate attention resulted in a no-fly zone across Libya, under the command of NATO, the “North Atlantic Treaty Organization.” After the campaign fulfilled its purpose, Europe and the US authorized military action that “aimed at averting a bloody rout of the rebels by loyalist forces.”

The current tactic is to strike, “unleashing warplanes and missiles in a military intervention on a scale not seen in the Arab world since the Iraq war,” (NY Times) against Qaddafi and the legislative failure he created. The relationships and reactions between the international community and Libya are comparable to a parent and their out of control child. The United States is very willing to help, though this has raised questions in the rest of the world as to President Obama’s intent. Could it be that what is publicized as humanitarian relief may be masking the reality that the US wants Qaddafi gone for good? The assistance to Libya will mean an expected action to help countries in Africa in the future. The unrest in Libya is far from over, and the tactics to help control the destruction keep changing. It seems as though the world is at a loss as to what to do with a country that is completely at the hands of one man. Muammar Qaddafi transformed Libya from a hopeful, independent country to a frenzied, fanatical battle zone in need of humanitarian aid for its betrayed people. The final chapter is yet to be written.