Libya confounds the many sceptics

When the rebellion against Muammer Gaddafi erupted last year, few gave the opposition movement much of a chance. The popular view was that the rebels were a disorganised tribal rabble who could not hope to demolish the Libyan leader’s supposedly coup-proof regime.

A year on, and not only have Col Gaddafi and his henchmen been consigned firmly to history, but Libya’s subsequent transformation has continued to defy the sceptics. Last weekend’s general election – the first real poll to be held in the country – was another encouraging sign. It went off largely without incident, with turnout high and violence minimal. Thus far at least, there seems to be little evidence of fraud.

The result, too, bucked a regional trend: that of Islamist parties triumphing at the polls. The Alliance of National Forces, a coalition of ostensibly liberal groups under Mahmoud Jibril, appears to have scored a resounding victory – at least in the competition for the 80 seats out of 200 in the general assembly that are awarded to parties under a list system.

While that does not guarantee them an overall victory – the remaining 120 seats are reserved for those standing as independents – it makes such an outcome considerably more likely.

But whatever the final balance of seats, Mr Jibril’s success is welcome, not least because he fought the campaign not on a platform of loose slogans but on a detailed programme of economic and political reform. Whatever government is eventually formed in Tripoli, this will hopefully colour the complexion of policies it pursues.

Even more than its neighbours in Tunisia and Egypt, Libya does not have the luxury of contemplating a long debate about women’s role in society or the political status of religion. Its urgent need is for a restoration of security.

Since Col Gaddafi’s fall, the biggest risk has been that the country might splinter into a patchwork of militia-dominated territories. The baleful example of northern Mali – which is a casualty of the fallout from Libya’s revolution – shows what can happen when ungoverned spaces and private armies are allowed to proliferate. Even now, the possibility of such chaos descending on Libya proper cannot be wholly discounted.

The first priority for the next government must be to inculcate a sense of national purpose, and to build a stable polity in which everyone feels that they have a stake. This means addressing the task of standing down the militias and integrating at least some of their members into an organised national defence force. Only when this is done will it be possible to unlock the interest of foreign and domestic investors. This in turn is vital if Libya’s post Gaddafi advance is to be consolidated.

Source: Financial Times

Good News from Libya

A storefront along Tripoli Street in Misrata. Credit: Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME

Slowly but surely, the revolution in Libya is bringing stability and making progress. Yesterday, 
he Zintan Brigade turned over control of the Tripoli Airport to the Libyan government. Two days ago, 
Libyan Airlines started regular flights to Malta and the Zintan Brigade are now making plans to transfer 
their prize catch, Saif Qaddafi, to the NTC as well.

A four day conference, Infrastructure Libya 2012, backed by the ministries of Planning
and of Communications, and Oil and Gas Libya 2012, hosted by the Oil Ministry at the Tripoli
International Fairground, begins on Monday. Companies from Canada, Egypt, France,
Germany, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA, as well as those from
Libya, are expected to attend. Even the Russians and the Chinese are negotiating their return to
Libya. Libya just bought 50,000 tons of Russian wheat.

Even the bad news has a good side. Last Thursday, when Amnesty International reported on the
death by torture of yet another black man from Tawargha in a Misrata detention center, it was the
headline in the decidedly pro-revolutionary Libyan Herald, indicating that the revolution is willing
to look honestly at itself, warts and all. And while, as I have said before, even one such death is
one too many, the fact that AI found only one such death in the two months since their earlier
report of more than a dozen killed by torture between September and February, indicates that
things are trending in the right direction.

More importantly, the root of these abuses, the make shift prisons setup by various revolutionary
brigades to contain the counter-revolutionaries immediately after the victory, is being dealt
with. On Wednesday, the Justice Ministry announced that it had taken over control of 30 such
detention centers from the thuwar.

So while, armed clashes, continue to cause trouble, there were reports of renewed fighting in
Kufra today after a seven week lull, and the flood of illegal immigrants from sun-Saharan Africa
continue to be a problem without solution, the country is rebuilding. The Sirte Local Council has
collected 1.5 billion LD in claims for damage caused by the heavy fighting there, and even in the
heavily damaged buildings on Tripoli St. in Misrata, which saw some of the heaviest bombardment
of the war, flower and dress shops can be seen to open in the bombed out remains.

As Abigail Hauslohner reported today on the Libyan Tweepforum:

all along Tripoli Street, there is also rebirth, and there is hope. New billboards and storefronts have sprung up from the city’s ashes. Uniformed traffic cops in white gloves patrol intersections—despite the absence of a fully functioning central government. And construction workers in orange vests clear rubble and tend to new flowers in the grassy medians. Stores selling wedding dresses and school supplies have re-opened their ground floor display windows; even as the gaping holes caused by rockets and tank shells remain to be fixed just above. “There are a lot of signs of war but you can see that there is life,” Yuri says. “There is life in different ways, girls on the street, boys on motorbikes, and flower shops.”

By Clay ClaiborneFollow (@Clayclai)

Source: Dailykos