Freedom: something taken for granted by citizens all over the first world countries. The struggle for freedom all around the world is a very real one. Recently, the fight for freedom has taken the oppressed by storm. All over the globe, there have been many examples of people fed up with corruption and ready to take control of their lives and the lives of their children. This is evident through the struggles for freedom seen in Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, and most recently Ukraine. It’s 2014 and governments controlled by a central authority or dictator are still prevalent. Countries all over the world have been isolated and stripped of their individual voices. The struggle for freedom coexists with the struggle of finding a voice. A voice is what the Libyan people found in February of 2011 when they started protests against a regime that ruled for forty-two years in isolated dictatorship. Three years later, the very same voice that liberated them is one of the gigantic obstacles they’re facing in establishing a functioning government in the country. This emphatic voice that has been silenced for 42 years by an iron-fisted rule is now louder than ever. The consensus is that they want an operational democracy in place as soon as possible. But three years have passed, and the country is more restless than ever. The country is completely dysfunctional and there is no telling what the people will do next if a stable democratic constitution isn’t in place soon. They’ve just ousted their fourth prime minister in less than three years and casualties are increasing by the day. The current Libyan situation is widely attributed to the 2011 revolution. That being said, understanding how the 2011 revolution happened and why it unfolded the way it...
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..., town by town, to brutalize men, women and children, the world refused to stand idly by”. This refers to the notion that when one state is suffering, that is when international relations has to kick into gear and help out. But was there an incentive for the international system to help Libya(oil maybe?). Specifically a unipolar superpower like the US. They didn’t help in Tunisia or Egypt, why Libya in particular? During the revolution, NATO backed the Libyan rebels and cause them to win vey battles during the civil war. US made a promise to continue to help Libya in its’ pursuit of democracy, but it looks as though Libya is going to have to figure this part of it fate on its own as most countries are staying away at the moment. But when the economy is up and running, and oil production is back at its peaks, What will the international system look like for Libya then?
BACKGROUND: In March of 2011, the unrest in Syria was just beginning, with protests g...
The 2011 Libyan Civil War started as peaceful protesting in front of the police headquarters over ruler Muammar Gaddafi’s corruption as their leader. This protest was met with brutal police violence. This sparked the Transitional National Council’s formation in an effort to change the government. The peaceful protest then made the leap to a rebel uprising that began to spread across the entire country. In order to contain this rebellion effort, Gaddafi stepped up his military control of the country and took back major cities. He also blocked off the public’s access to the media with censorsh...
Early 2011 uprisings swept across the Middle East and North Africa, and many rebellions are still going on today. The Arab region has seen revolts and conflict since the 1800‘s, but only recently have these revolts been redirected to the problems of Arab society (Ghannam, J. 2011 pg 4-5)The Arab Spring Uprising was first sparked in Tunisia and eventually struck Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and then spread to other countries. Citizens throughout these countries were dissatisfied with the rule of their local governments. Issues like human rights violations, political corruption, economic decline, unemployment, extreme poverty, dictators...
Libya’s post-colonial narrative is a complicated one that has led Libya to become a relatively prosperous African country with a better standard of living than it had before; yet, Libya remains rife with political chaos following the assassination of its 42-year dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, by rebel groups. In its history, Libya became an Italian colony in 1912, but was declared as an independent state in 1951 by the United Nations. On December 24, 1951, King Mohammed Idris al-Senussi was chosen by a national assembly to become the first and only monarch of the newly independent United Kingdom of Libya. Then, after a military coup on September 1, 1969, Gaddafi overthrew King Idris’ regime and came into power. Since then, Libya has developed into a relatively wealthy African nation and is faring better than it had been during its colonial years. However, political unrest and violence is widespread throughout Libya today. Libya's post-colonial narrative is a two-sided one: its relatively prosperous state was shaped by a combination of interconnected internal and external pressures, including the limitations of its natural environment, the reforms of its post-colonial rulers, as well as its interactions with other countries; meanwhile, its current social-political chaos developed from internal dissatisfaction with Gaddafi’s dictatorial regime and a wide range of conflicting political opinions among Libyan citizens.
In Tunisia, young people have taken control of a country that has been under the control of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali for the last 20 years. Tunisians could not get jobs without being extorted by local officials. They could not buy a house without bribing an official. Any activity involving government often required money to push the paperwork through. Tunisians who received coll...
Tunisia, a country located in the northern part of Africa, marks the birthplace of the Jasmine Revolution –a wave of demonstrations throughout the country all in support of overthrowing the current government at the time and creating a democracy. The Tunisian people saw that their economy, society and country were failing and realized that the current government system and officials were to blame. They succeeded in overthrowing the government and are currently trying to create a fair and stable democracy. A key element to democracy is rule of law. Rule of law is the legal principles that should govern a nation and is essential for a proper democracy. It protects the rights of citizens, as well as their property, from other citizens and the
Although, there has been over a fifty-year gap since the removal of dictator Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution and former president Ben Ali in the Tunisian Revolution, there must be similarities in the methods and reasons that spurred these movements initially. The Cuban Revolution's ideologies may have spurred into the Middle Eastern sphere to influence such uprisings of a mass of a people against their vicious governments. The motivational leaders in both nations in the Cuban and Tunisian Revolution achieved to mobilize masses by means of propaganda, media, and political demonstrations. Each shares several reasons to why oppressed individuals choose to rebel and ending in the overthrow of each government’s authoritarian regime. Gaining
In 1973 Gaddafi began a campaign called the “Popular Revolution.” This is called the popular revolution because it was what the people wanted and what Gaddafi wanted. He was going to restart the government and basically all of Libya. While doing this he banned the c...
Human history is pock-marked with innumerable wars and revolutions. The cause for most of the revolutions has been the choice of freedom. The opportunity to live a life without physical, mental or emotional restrictions has been and still is of supreme importance to man. This has resulted in the most widely followed discipline of political governance: Democracy.
As the Arab Spring enters its second year, major uprisings and revolts have occurred all over the Middle East, pushing for an end to the corrupt autocratic rule and an expansion of civil liberties and political rights. Most recently, images from Syria have emerged, depicting the government’s use of force to suppress the voice of its people. One might ask, “Is this the beginning of a revolution? Is the country on the path to democracy?” To assess this question and examine the future trends in the region, one must look back on the country’s somewhat tumultuous history, the relationship between the citizens and the state, and the political economy.
By Fire: Writings on the Arab Spring by Tahar Ben Jelloun is a book about the injustices that took place in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region before and during the Arab Spring revolt. Ben Jelloun entirety of his work is written in French, although his first language is Arabic. Today he lives in Paris and continues to write. He has been short-listed for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Translated by Rita Nezami from French to English and published in 2016 by Northwestern University Press, the book is composed of three parts: the translator’s introduction, a nonfiction piece, “The Spark,” and a novella, “By Fire”. By Fire, the first fictional account published on the Arab Spring, reimagines the true-life self-immolation of Mohamed
When Colonel Gaddafi inherited power peacefully, it was a burdening task to transform an impoverished nation located on a barren desert which recently declared independence, to the wealthiest African country where citizens enjoyed exceptional rights and a true direct democracy, called Jahiliyya. Prior to the US-led bombing campaign in 2011, Libya had the highest Human Development Index, the lowest infant mortality and the highest life expectancy in all of Africa. Under his rule, he raised the literacy levels from a low 25% to an exceptional 87% in which 25% of those earned university degrees. He also established what is known in America as “Pursuit of property” as he considered a home for every person a natural human right, as stated in his
The no-fly zone and naval blockade of Libya pressured Gaddafi to offer free elections in a cease-fire agreement, which was rejected by NATO and the NTC, and followed by NATO bombarding Tripoli (Carey). While the intervention was morally justified, it’s not clear that the humanitarian intervention was completely successful, as Libya is currently in another civil war (“National Post View”). The efforts of NATO and the United Nations helped bring peace to Libya for two years before another civil war broke out, so perhaps the intervention was partially successful. In the end, what needs to be considered in any intervention is whether or not there is a plan for how to change the country in the right direction, as well as making sure that foreign powers is not the only component holding the country
Anyone who has watched the news in the past few months has probably heard Qaddafi's name tossed around a couple of times and perhaps used in the same sentence as “ruthless dictator”. Yet one cannot help but wonder if Qaddafi was truly the bloodthirsty tyrant that the media painted him to be why are the Libyan people only rebelling now more than four decades after he came into power? Muammar al-Qaddafi came into power in 1969 as a young, popular, revolutionary leader who vowed to free Libya from the government corruption that was occurring under King Idris's rule. (Sullivan, 13) Qaddafi wanted a better life for all Libyans but he had his own views about what was and wasn't good for Libya. During next four decades, Qaddafi silenced political opposition and called the shots for Libya. The growing resentment towards Qaddafi came to a head on February 15, 2011 when protests sprang up all over Libya calling for an end to Qaddafi's absolute reign. The situation quickly escalated into a bloody civil war between Qaddafi's government and the rebel organization, which promises to bring democracy to Libya. Qaddafi's dictatorship has failed to be an effective form of government for Libya because his decisions do not represent the wishes and needs of the people. Democracy is the answer if the people of Libya do not want to keep paying for the mistakes of a single ruler.
Libya has experienced tremendous political unrest. The leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, is a tyrannical leader who refuses to step down from his position of power in spite of clear indication that many Libyans are ready for a new leader. As a result, rebels have taken action. They are steadily advancing towards Tripoli, gaining smaller cities as strongholds. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, has taken action to help defend the rebels of Libya and overthrow Gaddafi. Many believe that not only would Libyans be better off with out Gaddafi, but so would the world at large. NATO’s assistance to the Libyan rebels adds credibility to their cause, as they now have the support of 28 nations. This power should be used with great caution, as just a couple days ago Gaddafi’s son and three of his grandchildren where reportedly killed by a NATO bomb, an action that could quickly change the tide of sentiment against NATO, and perhaps toward Gaddafi.