THE POST-FALL OF GADDAFI AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE REGION

Running Head: THE POST-FALL OF GADDAFI AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE REGION
Conflict in Libya
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Course Details:
Instructor’s Name:
Date Submitted:
Summary
He ruled Libya for more than 42 years in what many have described as a dictatorship, bent on the use of terror to invoke respect amongst his subjects. The main man is none other than Muammar Gaddafi, the eccentric leader, finally brought down by an overwhelming resistance that sparked civil war in Libya for over six months since the early beginnings of 2011. Whilst in power, Gaddafi is known to have colluded with the military more often than not, to assist in the retention of power, in a perfect despotic dynasty style, characteristic of most Arab states especially in the recent past (Muzaffar,2011). It is this inherent attitude towards humanity and democracy in general, that has in many times, both in the past and even recently, escalated international calls for new leadership in Libya. Considering the fact that Libya is one of the main suppliers of crude oil in the world, Gadaffi has had in many times, the final say and suffice to say, the final laugh.
However, after his capture and eventually humiliating and torturous death, the Gadaffi era has finally bowed out and in its wake, left a giant vacuum in the sahel-saharan region (Tisseron, 2011). Of importance, is the realization by the international community, especially the United States, whose interests in Libya go way back to the Reagan administration, to effectively administer the return to rule of law in Libya and restore democratic sanity across the whole region in general, bearing in mind that Libya is an economic powerhouse in the region. Can Libya’s emerging leaders, downplay the fact that they are Islamists and embrace a more westernized administration? Wouldn’t it be more dangerous if after the death of Gadaffi, Libya’s situation escalated into anarchy which would in effect, give space for terror outfits such as Al-Qaeda to flourish? These are some of the questions that will be discussed broadly in addressing the Libyan conflict as well as providing key advice on the best course of action.
Background of the Conflict
It is a fact, and one that has very strong support, that the conflict in Libya though only manifesting itself after a sizeable population of Libya rebelled against Gaddafi’s rule, is his own making. Gadaffi is the main cause for the conflict and indeed his own death, according to Muzaffar (2011). Until 1969, Libya was a monarchy headed by King Idris. However, in 1969, a revolutionary coup headed by Gadaffi succeeded in ousting his regime and in its absence, installed a new type of regime, after declaring Libya a free nation. Upon the formation of the Libyan Arab Republic, Gadaffi declared that the nation’s leadership would endeavor to promote and pursue social justice, freedom, and unity for all Libyan people. However, he quickly deviated from this declaration, imposing and autocratic style of leadership that made many young Libyan’s, detest his administration.
Gadaffi was to create a state of wanton destruction of lives especially for those who opposed his leadership. In 1973, he introduced the people’s authority, a style of government, mostly bent on socialist ideologies. It was at this precise time that he got involved with the Soviet Union. With such a track record, it was no wonder that Gadaffi had a knack for supporting and favoring continental and regional leaders who exhibited traits innate in his leadership. For instance, he supported Idi Amin of Uganda, and even offered military help for his ailing government. It was also with his support, that Charles Taylor, former Liberian strongman, committed crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone. Although Gaddafi in his early years as a president enjoyed relative popularity amongst Libyan’s, according to Black (2011), this was to change especially after he damaged relations with the west and especially the US. The United States was to later accuse Libya of possessing weapons of mass destruction, making relations more stringent.
Main Actors and Parties to the Conflict
As stated earlier Gaddafi in his effort to enforce individual leadership backed by nepotism, brought about the escalation of tension resulting the unrest witnessed for eight months in Libya. Wise men once said that one should never bite the hand that feeds him. For Gadaffi, this probably meant nothing, which explains why he irrationally, often quarreled with other Arab nations in the Arab League and also the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). As such, it was very imminent, that in the event of instability in Libya, Gadaffi would have very little support from his fellow Arab nations in the Arab League. It came as no surprise, when the Arab league eagerly agreed to the imposing of a no fly zone over Libya, which ultimately, had the effect of crippling Gadaffi’s air force during the recently ended civil unrest. Some, Arab nations such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, were directly involved in the conflict to the extent of providing military and financial assistance to the rebels (Muzaffar, 2011).
But perhaps it is the presence of the United States and other western nation, coupled with a strongly supported NATO intervention, that gave the conflict a very dramatic twist, that saw Gadaffi fee into hiding. NATO alone was responsible for over 20,000 sorties and 7, 500 air strikes that left Gadaffi’s army stranded (Muzaffar, 2011). Unconfirmed reports have also pointed to the fact that United States personnel were on the ground in Libya, working side by side with the rebel outfits. International media also played a center stage role in the demise of Gadaffi’s dictatorship. Al-Jazera for instance, rallied behind the rebel forces and gave their cause a plausible amount of airplay. Other western newspapers also did very little in downplaying their alignments and this had a considerable effect on the general morale of Gadaffi’s forces, which contrasted deeply with that of the rebels.
Security Issues
A great deal of security issues seem to echo far into future predictions of the economic and political landscape of the sahel-saharan region. With the absence of a stable government in Libya, concerns are being raised of the fragility of the region, to cope with anti-terrori...