Abstract
Libya’s contemporary history has been dominated by the “perpetual dynamics” of religion, tribalism, regionalism, and oil. After 42 years in power, Muammar Qadhafi was killed at the hands of his own people. Despite receiving powerful support from NATO and certain Arab governments, the 2011 uprisings were authentically Libyan and were yet another reflection of the supremacy of these four “perpetual dynamics.” The purpose of this chapter is to analyze these dynamics and how they are echoed in post-Qadhafi Libya. To set the stage, the chapter begins by elucidating the fundamental continuities that undergirded the 2011 uprisings. The next section entitled “Libya’s Perpetual Dynamics and Their Constraints on the Future” provides an explanation of the history and role of religion, tribalism, regionalism, and oil in shaping contemporary Libya. Then, “The Interaction of the ‘Perpetual Dynamics’ and Their Political Manifestations” identifies how these dynamics have played out during the uprisings and in their aftermath. Next, “The Topography of the Institutionalized Forces” seeks to show how the perpetual dynamics explain the emergence of the different political, social, and military organizations that came into being during the uprisings. This treatment builds on George Joff é’ s illustration in Chapter 1 that the structure of the Jamihiriyya channeled opposition activism into preexisting social cleavages. * This chapter draws on my “Post-Qadhafi Libya: Interactive Dynamics and the Political Future,” Contemporary Arab Affairs 5, no. 1 (2012): 1–26 . 54 Youssef Mohammed Sawani Looking back, it is now quite clear that the spontaneous organizations produced by the uprisings drew upon the wellsprings of solidarity that religion, tribalism, regionalism, and oil exert in Libyan society. A final section, “The New Libya: Challenges and Opportunities,” briefly treats the history of foreign involvement in the uprisings and their aftermath, exploring how this legacy entails both challenges and opportunities for post-Qadhafi Libya.