Libya’s Uniqueness in North Africa and the Arab World

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Though located in North Africa, Libya has portrayed several characteristics that make it a unique nation in North Africa and the Middle East. According to Hajjar (188), several factors have contributed to this uniqueness. The political system Jamahiriya, political Islam, and the Kaddafi factor are important aspects that make Libya a unique nation and determine its future.

The purpose of this discussion is to analyze the political system, institutions, and the sociopolitical and economic systems in Libya during the Kaddafi error and the impact these unique features have on the post-Kaddafi era. In particular, it is worth noting that these features not only make the country unique but also contribute to the future of the country after the exit of Kaddafi.

Barger (64) presented an important analysis of the political, social, economic, and religious features that make Libya unique and their prospective contribution to the end of the Kaddafi era. Although written several years before the end of Kaddafi’s regime, the article indicates that the unique political and socioeconomic system in Libya during the Kaddafi shaped the modern day Libya.

Scholars have shown that the dependency of the Libyan economy on oil makes the country unique among its neighbors in North African and the Middle East. Although several Arab nations largely depend on this resource for their economical gains, Libya’s situation is relatively different. For instance, Kaddafi’s Third Universal Theory dominated the country’s politics and economy since the 1960s.

According to Barger (64), the Third Universal Theory introduced by Muammar Kaddafi in the 1970s made the country’s politics and economy unique in several ways. It is evident that the theory was used to impose leadership and economic principles, where democracy and direct rule were thought to be the principal causes of regime changes in some neighboring countries.

For instance, Kaddafi had the opportunity to use power to impose socialism, democracy, or Islamic politics in the country, but he chose to use a different approach. The theory was introduced as an alternative to socialism and capitalism systems that were competing with each other in various parts of the world.

While Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations remained political monarchies, Kaddafi’s regime adopted the Third Universal Theory under the claim that Kaddafi had “no absolute political power.” The theory claimed that the absolute power was in the hands of the Higher Council for National Guidance (and later the National Transitional Council).

Unlike Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and other nations that experienced dictatorial regimes, the Third Universal Theory imposed a regime that attempted to tackle the problems arising from dictatorial rule. Under the theory, Kaddafi was considered a “leader” rather than a ruler.

The Higher Council for National Guidance acted as the highest political organ, which seems to have replaced the role of legislative bodies common to Egypt and other constitutional democracies.

Secondly, the role of religion in Libyan political, social, and economic system is significant and different from other nations. For instance, apart from Egypt, most other Arab nations in North Africa and the Middle East have been applying political Islam, under which the Sharia law is significant. In the case of Libya, Kaddafi had a different way of applying Islamic rule. For instance, his approach was more liberal than dictatorial.

In his ‘Green Book,’ Kaddafi argued that the truth of Islamic provisions is supposed to be evaluated in terms of their worthiness and applicability in the current context. Accordingly, the driving force of the regime obtained inspirations from religion, but the religion was not the absolute source of law.

The role of the religion was “to defend the weak citizens regardless of their religion.” Therefore, unlike her neighbors, Libya has demonstrated a unique political Islam in which Islamic Sharia law has no significant role in the judicial and constitutional systems. Most of the countries in the region rely on Islamic law in their constitutions while others like Egypt have been using a “Western-style constitutions.”

However, Libya, under Kaddafi, demonstrated that neither the Islamic law nor western-style constitution was good for the nation. The Third Universal Theory further applied to the interpretation of Islamic law.

However, it is worth noting that this system led to the formation of various Islamic groups whose aim was to oppose Kaddafi’s political system. For instance, several Islamic movements and insurgents against Kaddafi’s rule arose in the 1980s and 1990s and were mainly concentrated in and around Benghazi. Although the regime was successful in dealing ruthlessly with these groups, their impact contributed to the end of the regime in 2011.

Noteworthy, the fact that the regime oppressed Islamic groups and considered them as “extremists or terrorists” portrays an additional unique feature of Libya.

While other nations such as Saudi Arabia, Morocco and several others in the region were mainly supportive of “Islamic nation,” Kaddafi thought that using Sharia law would be oppressive and unfair because not everybody in the country was a Muslim. This forced most Islamic political organizations and extremists to exile, especially in Algeria.

It is clear that these groups contributed to the future of Libya. For instance, the 2011 uprising against Kaddafi’s regime was mainly due to the long-term rivalry between the regime and some of these groups.

With the support of western powers and rebels, these groups were successful in convincing the world that Kaddafi’s rule was no longer tenable in Libya and that there was a need for his immediate removal. Therefore, these Islamic groups have determined and shaped the future of the country, especially by the removal of Kaddafi and the introduction of constitutional democracy.

This analysis indicates that Libya has several features unique to the country and which have shaped its future. The Kaddafi factor, the Third Universal Theory, and unique interpretation and application of law have dominated Libya’s politics. While these features have contributed to the long-term peace and stability in the country, they are also the cause of the recent political turmoil, which led to the removal and death of Kaddafi.

Also, these features continue to determine the future of the country as it heals from the impacts of anti-Kaddafi rebellion. These unique features of Libya have contributed to the modern state of the country. For instance, the use of the Third Universal Theory and Kaddafi’s long claim of partial control of absolute political power contributed to the anti-Kaddafi uprising in the 1990s and finally the coup that ousted him in 2011.

Works Cited

Barger, John. “After Qadhafi: Prospects for political part formation and democratization in Libya”. The Journal of North African Studies, 4.1 (2007): 62-77. Print

Hajjar, Sami. “The Jamahiriya Experiment in Libya: Qadhafi and Rousseau.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 18.2 (2005): 181-200. Print

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Libya’s Uniqueness in North Africa and the Arab World

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