July 29, 2014 by Darius
Libya is not doing well these days. Ok, that’s something of an understatement. Libya’s capital, Tripoli, is currently best described as a warzone. Supporters of the rogue former general Khalifa Hifter and militias from the city of Zintan control western Tripoli, while Islamists and their allies control the east of the city. Fighting over the international airport has left dozens dead. Clearly, Libya is not heading in a positive direction. Unlike other Arab Spring countries, Libya has only itself to blame.
In 2011, when western air power paved the way for a popular armed uprising to unseat Col. Muammar Gaddafi, who had ruled for 40 years, it could have been a new beginning. Instead of coming together to build a new country, though, Libyans reverted to the old sectarian, regional, and tribal divisions that Gaddafi (like many other strongmen) had kept in check through the simple method of oppressing everyone. The fighting over Tripoli’s airport is just the most painful and obvious reminder of the Libyan reality.
The important thing here is that Libya’s problems are of its own making. Sure, other Arab Spring revolutions have gone badly. But other circumstances in those countries made matters far worse. In Syria, for instance, the sectarian nature of the conflict meant that millions of dollars and thousands of fighters have poured in from outside of Syria. In Egypt, the military’s control of the Deep State enabled it to launch a counter-revolution, while concerns about Israel’s preferences prevented the US and the West from helping Egypt’s democratic, Islamist government.
Libya cannot lay its problems at the feet of outsiders. Yes, the US and Europe helped rebels defeat Col. Gaddafi’s forces by providing air support. But no foreign troops were ever on the ground, and once Gaddafi was gone, so too was outside intervention in Libya. Left to their own devices, Libya’s political figures quickly became mired in a deadlock between the Islamists and everyone else, and Libya’s military, with an inconsistent political mandate, let militias roam free for months and then years.
There is perhaps a very small silver lining to Libya. Because Libya’s problems are homegrown, their solutions stand a chance at being homegrown as well. It’s just hard to see what those solutions might be at this point. The root of the problem is political. But right now no one can hear anyone else above the sound of the gunfire even if they were inclined to, which they still don’t seem to be.
Not What You Might Think 