The Libyan Civil War - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Libya became an independent state with the enactment of its constitution in 1949 and the crowning of Muhammad Idris as Libya’s first king two years later. The regime of Idris dissolved in 1969 when Col. Muammar Qaddafi suddenly appropriated power-abolishing monarchy by changing the constitution with the establishment of Libyan Arab Republic (Joy, 2011, p.1). A Muslim Nasserite, Qaddafi held strong feelings against the western countries and started various anti west policies such as expelling the western military personnel and Libya being a prime resource of oil Qaddafi cut loose dealings and imposed several restrictions with the western world regarding the dealings in oil industry (Ogunbadejo, 1983). Qaddafi participated in the civil wars in Chad and there was an attempted assassination on him by the US troops. Al Qaida also believed that Qaddafi followed anti Islamic law and tensions aroused in Libya followed by civil wars. The Libyan uprising that started in February 2011 appears to be the most serious challenge faced by Qaddafi in his 42-year-old rule. Thus, it is an intrastate conflict which was internationalized owing to the issues concerned and later peace making attempts (Anderson, 1984; Thackrah, 2008)

Social, political, economic and socio-cultural context
The main centre of conflict culminated in the city of Benghazi located in the eastern Cyrenaican region of Libya following anti-establishment movements. In the past, also there have been conflicts in eastern Libya, which was also the center of rebellions against Ottoman and Italian rule many times. From Benghazi, the revolt spread like fire while Qaddafi ordered his troops to suppress the rebellion and he announced the intention to “fight to the last drop of blood” and also further added that the rebels were “nothing more than Al Qaeda extremists, addled by hallucinogens slipped into their milk and Nescafé”e” (Joy, April, 2011 p.2). Ruler Qaddafi followed an anti American policy, but he contributed greatly for the development of the people of Libya. For instance, he built a magnificent irrigation system in this arid desert land of Libya with an estimated budget of around $40 billion dollars, which provided ample water supply in this arid land. He was also successful in alleviating poverty and helped people attain sustainable standards of living in contrast with the subhuman conditions prevailing in its sub Saharan counterparts like Nigeria, Angola, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. However, the main agenda behind the culmination of the conflict was that the people of Libya wanted change and were rigorously desperate for achieving fundamental freedom rather than economic or social freedom. Qaddafi himself overthrew the monarchy rule of King Idris in 1969 and established democracy that he failed to apply in his 42-year rule in the country, which he executed like his private business, and this became the centre point for the civil war in Libya (The Libyan conflict in perspective, March 7, 2011). Causes of conflict: Structural causes of conflict and Qaddafis’ domination The root cause of the conflict in Libya can be attributed to the negligence of the civil rights and ...Download file to see next pagesRead More