Beyond the mayhem

Debating key dilemmas in Libya's statebuilding

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3979062
AutoresNoureddine Jebnoun (Georgetown University, autor correspondente)
Ano2015
Volume20
Fascículo5
Páginas832-864
Data de publicação2015-10-20
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13629387.2015.1068697
OpenAlexW2180317438
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas26

The paper argues that the causes of Libya's current chaos are rooted in its having failed to establish a modern state. Yet it points out that the policies developed under Qadhafi should not prevent Libyans from developing and implementing a consensual and inclusive statebuilding approach. This is particularly true if informal actors such as tribal structures and quasi-autonomous actors including armed groups are brought into the political scene through institutional arrangements. The conflicts of post-Qadhafi era are motivated more by the intensified struggle over access and control of the country's resources – including its financial assets and its illicit cross-border trafficking – than the ideological values per se; though this dimension cannot be overlooked as it prompted localised violent conflicts across the country. The battle for legitimacy between the major coalitions – each internally divided by various identities and conflicting interests – should not undermine the potential for a negotiated settlement mediated by the United Nations between Libyan stakeholders. Such settlement has the possibility to reinvent politics by peaceful means, acknowledge the country's socio-political diversity, and preserve its territorial integrity

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