Dynamic of Tribal Politics in Libya

Date

2022-9

Type

Chapter

Book title

Democratic Arabic Center for Strategic, Political & Economic Studies

Author(s)

Mustafa Abdalla A. Kashiem

Pages

106 - 126

Abstract

We may not exaggerate if one says Libya is a tribal political system, and it will continue to be so unless it is built as a country of law and institutions. Tribes' goal, as a civil society organization, is to carry out the interests of their members at social and political levels. However, the tribal social role does not necessarily contradict the statehood idea. However, tribal opportunistic political portrayal may affect Libya’s future, which has suffered a severe crisis since 2014. The Libyan tribalism has been simultaneously dealt with as dependent and independent variables to examine its political influence. This chapter examines the political influence of tribalism at the micro and macro levels of analysis. On the micro-level, positive attitudes are noticed towards the idea of statehood compared with tribalism. On the macro-level, tribalism reflected internal and external dimensions. Internally, tribes act as a civil society organization that aims to protect private interests. The political vacuum makes tribalism more opportunistic to a degree, jeopardizing what remains of the statehood entity. Externally, foreign countries have exploited tribalism for their interests, e.g., Egypt and France. Finally, while the current tribal political role will continue in the short term, things will change for the worst or the best in the long term. Keywords: Tribes, City-states, Regions, Statehood, Political Role, Conflict Resolution, and External Intervention.

Publisher's website

View