The external dimension of Libya's troubled transition

The International Community and 'Democratic Knowledge' Transfer

Bibliographic Data

ID3979027
AuthorsMieczysław P Boduszyński (Pomona College, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume20
Issue5
Pages735-753
Publication date2015-10-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13629387.2015.1081462
OpenAlexW1776730558
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited23

What are the sources of democratic knowledge in a context devoid of relevant experience and institutions? More than other Arab Spring states, Libya lacked the ingredients for successful democratisation. Yet, Libya's Arab Spring uprising was also unique in that external actors, Western and Arab, supported it through military intervention. Why was the international community's successful intervention to protect civilians and help overthrow the Qadhafi regime not translated into creating the conditions for stability, security, and the construction of democratic institutions after that regime fell? This article analyses the international dimension of Libya's transition and argues that the potential for external actors to be effective sources of democratic knowledge in post-Qadhafi Libya was severely constrained from the outset by the absence of leverage and linkages, two key factors highlighted in research on the international dimension of democratisation

Context (archaeology · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Dimension (graph theory · Economics · Fell · Geography · International community · Intervention (counseling · Leverage (statistics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · International Development and Aid · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology

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