Colonial History and Current Political Context of Libya - Research Paper Example

?Colonial History & Current Political Context Capital The capital of Libya is called Tripoli or Tarabulus. Colonial History: Libya became an Italian colony on 3rd October 1911, following a war with the Ottomans. Two major events that marked this period of colonialization were – the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 and the development of the “Fourth Shore”. The Treaty of Lausanne was signed between Turkey and the Allied Powers, which included Italy and paved the way for a new form of colonialism, one which was brutal and authorized by the fascist Mussolini-ruled government. This treaty completed the annihilation of the Ottoman Empire and forced Turkey to relinquish Dodecanese Islands to Italy’s rule. The second event which marked the Italian colonialization of Turkey was the development of the Fourth Shore. Mussolini wanted to turn Libya into an Italian province and hence renamed it, Italy’s Fourth Shore. Remaking Libya began with dividing it into four provinces and investing heavily into its transportation infrastructure, irrigation technology and raw material extraction industry. It finally ended with the creation of the Libyan Colonization Society which promoted land reclamation and job creation for Italian settlers. As World War II began, and Italy pledged its allegiance to Germany, Cyrenaican and Tripolitanian leaders announced their support to the Allies led by Sayid Idris. After a tough war, Libya came under the Allied administration, in February 1943, which lasted till 24th December 1951, when Libya became the first country to attain autonomy through the United Nations. Headed by King Idris I, United Kingdom of Libya proclaimed its sovereignty as a constitutional and hereditary monarchy. Present Leader: The present president of Libya is Mohammed el-Megarif, who is also the chairman of the General National Congress. Current Political Context: 10 months after overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorial rule, Libya elected its new democratic government in August 2012, which was to be led by Mohammed el-Megarif. While Mohammed el-Megarif represented the National Front Party, in the elections, his opponent Ali Zaidan, was an independent candidate. Both candidates had a lush history of opposing the tyrannical Gaddafi and had been living in exile till his recent death. For the people of Libya who had been wearily waiting for the chaos and turmoil to end, this has come as a cry of relief. For many people, the election process itself has been a liberating experience, having served under a dictatorial leader for so long. The democratically elected government is backed by people’s faith in them and hosts a competent cabinet. Youth who formed a majority of the voting population, were happy with the election results as they believed that the National Forces Alliance would be able to bring about policy changes in the functioning of Libya. The election results also spoke a great deal about the acceptance of religious ideologies among the general public. The chaos tired citizens chose to stay away from any candidate gunning a religious propaganda and the results promoted a fair and free government. Nonetheless, the government seeks to establish itself in the midst of the ongoing turmoil and in the attempt to ascertain peace and stability; it has to earn people’s respect by providing them security both physical and material, at the same time bring together opposing forces of the militia to build a stronger base. Economics & Art/Culture Sub-Heading: Libya – Holder of largest oil reserves in Africa Currency: Libyan Dinar (LYD) Major Economic Features: Libya holds Africa’s largest oil reserves and hence, its major products are crude oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products. The country revolves around its energy sector because poor soil and unsuitable climatic conditions limit the output that is gained from agriculture. According to CIA’s World Factbook, “95% of export earnings, 80% of GDP, and 99% of government revenue” in Libya, is generated from its oil reserves. Libya at the moment is slowly recovering from a civil war; the earlier autocratic government which depended highly on the energy sector has now been replaced by a democratic government which is trying to slowly broaden its economic horizons. At this juncture the new government is attempting to establish macroeconomic solidity in a country degraded by political turmoil. However, this is a very tough job given the weak standing of the Central government and the unbridled corruption prevalent in the various levels of bureaucracy. Libya currently suffers from high rates of unemployment, a 2006 census stated its unemployment rates to be 20.7%, given the chaos ensued by civil war, these rates have only continued to rise. Similarly, the GDP (PPP) of this country hit a major setback in 2011 due to political instability and amounted to only an estimate of $39.62 billion but it seems to have recovered a fair bit with the help of strong international support, with its 2012 figures amounting to an estimated $87.91 billion. Thus, it can be safely said that Libya is rebounding from its state of despair and conflict, with the help of a government which is intent upon diversifying and drawing attention of private investors. Italy, France and China are the largest trading partners of Libya, they help fuel its economic growth. The country is also signatory to the following trading blocs - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) since June, 2005 and Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since 1962. Art/Culture: A majority of the Libyan population is Muslim and hence Libyan art and culture have heavy Islamic leanings, whether it is in their paintings, languages, metal engravings, embroidery, music or dancing. While the national language of this country is Arabic, Berbers and Tuareg tribals continue to speak their traditional tribal language, a little bit of Latin is also spoken among select older circles and English remains a popular second language with the new generation. Art, dance and music are extremely popular in Libya and are inclined to follow a traditional, folk route. Hagallah and Guedra dancing styles have traditional ancestry and are usually accompanied by Tuareg music. One of the most well known singers in Libya today are Hamid El Shari and Nasser el-Mizdawi, famous for their modern music. Libyan painting is made famous by renowned painters like, Ali al-Albani, Ali Zwaik, Ataf al Somali and Abu Ras who show great potential in conceptualizing their art. Khaled Mattawa, a Libyan poet has also achieved great fame for his intriguing sonnets in Arabic on topics ranging from love to nationalism. Section 1 Source 1 Enter citation here. Selected Information. Evaluate this source. CRITERION QUESTIONS RATING RATING EXPLANATION Authority The author is Ben Clements The author teaches at Department of Politics and International Relations at University of Leicester. His research expertise. University of Leicester is one of the leading universities in the UK. The author has also published few other articles on the politics in Libya as well. The author is objective in terms of the research findings Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory As the author has valid research background and is backed by his academic experience he is rated as satisfactory Accuracy & Validity The author used secondary source review and data from AV referendum study The author has done extensive literature review to support the findings The sources are properly cited in the bibliography list This information is not available As the data has been taken from other data sources these information can be cross checked with the original study Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory As the range of secondary sources used is extensive, the research findings are backed by scientific evidence Currency Data from spring 2009 and the British election study of 2009-10 has been used for this research which is published in 2012 Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory As the data used is up to date, it can be rated exemplary Final Evaluation Overall, the study provides extensive background information on the international political perceptions on Libya. However, the study is limited to the British population. Thus the scope of the study being a reference in analyzing the politics of Libya becomes limited. Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The range of the study limits to the perceptions of the population of just one country. Source 2 Enter citation here. Selected Information. Evaluate this source. CRITERION QUESTIONS RATING RATING EXPLANATION Authority Mr. Neumann was deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East and South Asian affairs. Being the bureaucratic representative of the US, the author can have authentic information on the subject Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The bureaucratic background of the author doesn’t prove his research credibility Accuracy & Validity The paper is entirely based on the state’s official political perception which makes it politically biased. The author has not referred to secondary sources No references have been included As the paper is the reproduction of a political perceptive of the Us, as officially presented by its responsible official, the data needs no cross confirmation Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The paper is not a research paper. Currency The paper has provided information concerning year as its year of publication. Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The paper can be used to have a political insight into the scenario during its year of publication Final Evaluation Overall, the study provides information on the political perceptions of the US on Libya during the period of its publication. . However, the paper has no research significance. Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The paper is not backed by research Source 3 Enter citation here. Selected Information. Evaluate this source. CRITERION QUESTIONS RATING RATING EXPLANATION Authority Steve Stottlemyre is a career intelligence professional, and North Africa specialist. He served in the Intelligence Community for over a decade in various capacitiesfor the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, and the U.S. Army. He also served as adjunct faculty at American Public University, and Henley-Putnam University. The academic and the bureaucratic credentials of the author makes him eligible to write the paper Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The nature of the paper requires extensive inside information on a government which was under dictatorship. The intelligence background of the author makes his authority clear. Moreover, the academic background of the author has substantiated the research Accuracy & Validity The author used secondary source review and compilation The author has done extensive literature review to support the findings The sources are properly cited in the bibliography list The publisher has not formally validated the views expressed in the paper Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The extensive literature references supports the validity of the paper Currency The paper has provided information carrying over a period of more than 30 years. Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The paper serves as compilation of available data on the dealt period and thus becomes very good reference material Final Evaluation Overall, the study serves as an insight into the political history of Libya. The approach of the country towards the other nations has been complied very scientifically Choose rating. Exemplary Satisfactory Unsatisfactory The paper serves as an excellent reference for the political history of Libya. Read More