Libya's progress towards democracy - Research Paper Example

Idris was a traditional emperor leader who had no concern for any self-governing principles and during his reign, Libya was mostly an impoverished nation with a life financial system; the country only relied on revenues from both the US and British airbases and international aid until 1959 when oil reserves were discovered (“History of Libya”). Idris was deposed in a bloodless coup that was led by the then 27 year old Muammar al-Gadhafi while away on a visit to Turkey; Gadhafi then immediately became commander-in-chief of the Libyan armed forces and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council which was the new force governing Libya.

Since 1979, Libya was predominantly a military dictatorship with Gadhafi earning a global distinction as one of the world’s most eccentric and unpredictable dictators (History World). Gadhafi’s political philosophy was multifaceted, deriving from Islam, socialism, and Arab nationalism as combined in his personal manifesto, the Green Book. Although the country was renamed as the People’s Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to mean that it was governance through the masses, it remained a personal rule by a single individual, Muammar al-Gadhafi.

This paper will investigate whether Libya has made any recent progress towards democracy, especially after Gadhafi’s regime was brought to an end and whether the country has any history of democratic or liberal institutions. Since Muammar Qaddafi was ousted from power, Libya had been characterized by rough-and-tumble politics; this was attributed to the country’s inexperience given that it had been under a dictatorship regime for over four decades. Critics initially argued that given the lack of a government with a full democratic charge over issues in the country, Libya had very little if any hope of transitioning into a democracy; instead, Libya could only but hope for continued drift due to the lack of a cabinet that could assume sovereign authority over security, finance and strategic development.

However, if the recent trend is anything to go by, then Libya has great potential of transforming into democratic governance after four decades of civilian subjugation under Gadhafi’s Military dictatorship. Libya’s vibrant oil industry, increasing stability, and a strong public stand against violence are strong indicators of the countries commitment towards the establishment of a democratic government and democratic institutions (Thorne). In this respect, Libya has indeed witnessed a commendable progress in the move towards democracy, regardless of the myriad skepticism and the numerous constraints inherent in the country.

Nevertheless, after a whooping four decades of a one man’s rule regime in Libya, it is not expected that the country would transform to a democracy in just over a fortnight, especially given the numerous constraints to democracy such as the inexistence of democratic institutions. However, though slow-paced, democracy is in the offing; all indicators show that there has been a concerted effort from various stakeholders to help the country transform to a Democracy. The remarkable progress towards democracy in Libya in the recent past has been witnessed especially on the political front after Muammar Gadhafi was ousted from power (“Libya: Despite everything”).

In this respect, the newly elected General National Congress, a prototype parliament that came in place