team+8+Libya



= Overview =

Libya is located in North Africa right next to Egypt and Sudan.The oil industry of Libya is the most important in terms of revenue, it has resulted in the upliftment of the quality of life of the Libyan people since it's discovery in 1959. Agriculture is the second largest sector in the country’s economy. The policies of Libya have generally been more focused on Arab country solidarity, and have tried to develop regional economic integration, but the relations during the Gaddafi regime often times alienated Libya from the other Arab and Western world.

Libya has recently been in the news a lot because of the revolution going on within the state, and the dismantling of Muammar Gaddafi's almost four decades of rule. Libya as a country has only recently become an independent state, 1951. Prior to independence Libya used to be a Roman colony and then it was being invaded by Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, and the Turks.

More recently Libya has been considered a part of the movement called the "Arab Spring." The country was under the rule of Gaddafi for a decades and it was a rule that was absolute and run by his most loyal supporters.

Governance of the Divided Libya
The post World War II power divisions between Britain and France saw Libya cut into the French controlled and administrated Fezzan, and the British controlled and administrated Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. The Fezzan was the more lightly populated, with most of its population centered around Tripoli and multiple Berber tribes scattered throughout the more wild areas of the map. The population was primarily Arab with an approximately 10% ethnic minority from the settlers encouraged by Mussolini. The government was largely Arab with all high level decisions still being made by the Italian administers Cyrenaica and Tripolitania were each considered self governing but operated by the same laws with a Hague Convention sponsored British government taking over, each operating a series of districts with sub administrators reporting to the Brigadiers in charge of each territory.

Historically the three regions have been separated similarly before, Tripolitania being owned by the Phoenicians, Cyrenaica by the Greeks and the Fezzan by the Garamentes. The Phoenicians inhabited Tripolitania from roughly the 12th century B.C. and remained Phoenician until Tripoli was conquered by the Romans in 46 B.C. Cyrenaica was first considered Greek when the city of Cyrene was founded in 631 B.C. and and it's numerous sister cities of what was called the Pentopolis competed economically up until the entire territory was ceded to Rome by the last Monarch of the Pentopolis, Ptolemy Apion. And finally the Fezzan had been ruled by the Garamentes tribal people since their arrival before 1000 B.C. and maintained a small but powerful nation astride the trade routes and Oases of the desert region. They managed to keep their independence of Rome and even entered into a trade alliance with them in the 1st Century A.D. In November of 1949 the U.N. declared that Libya should re-form as a single sovereign nation by January 1st, 1952 and all three territories officially united on the 24th of December in 1951, the United Kingdom of Libya (Ben Johnson)

Ahmida, Ali Abdullatiff. //The Making of Modern Libya: State Political Map of Libya from 1943 to 1951// //Formation,Colonization,and Resistance//. Albany: State University of New York, 1994. Print.- - -. //The Making of Modern Libya: State Formation,Colonization,and Resistance//. BBC News. "Libya Country Profile." //BBC News//. N.p., 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Nov.Albany: State University of New York, 1994. Print. 2011. . Hollis, Christopher. //Italy in Africa//. London: Hammish Hamilton, 1941. Print.
 * Sources **:

**Sources**
http://www.architecturebeyond.eu/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vittoria-capresi_I-centri-rurali-libici.pdf http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/lytoc.html#ly003

= = =**Libya as a Kingdom **=

==

On the 24th of December 1951 Libya along with Cyrenacia, Tripolitania and Fezzan created a union called the United Kingdom of Libya which de clared Libya's independence. Also, this kingdom had three capital cities: Tripoli, Benghazi and Bayda. Moreover, on the 28th of March 1953 Libya joined the Arab league two years after declaring their independence. Libya was the first country to obtain independence through the United Nations it was proclaimed to be a monarchy. This was all possible because of a man known as Idris-as-Senusi, who was the first and only king of Libya.

In April 1955 Libya started exploration of oil fields with the first oil field being discovered in 1959. Moreover, Libya started eporting and selling oil in 1963 which improved Libyas economic conditions. However, since the elite retained most of the wealth, resentment grew among the rest of the populatio

Also, in 1963 the federal system was terminated and the name of the country changed to the Kingdom of Libya. Finally, on the first of september Muhammed Gaddafi led a group of military officers who ended this monarchy by arresting the chief of staff and the head of security while King Idris was in Turkey for medical treatment. After overthrowing the Kingdom, the name of the country changed to the Libyan Arab Republic. Finally, after leading the group, Gaddafi was considered a hero amongst the people and he proclaimed Libya in the name of freedom, socialis m, and unity.

"His 42 years in power make him one of the longest-serving rulers in history. Gaddafi renamed the Libyan Arab Republic to Jamahiriya in 1977, based on his socialist and nationalist political philosophy published in The Green Book. In1979, he gave up the title of prime minister, and was thereafter called "The Brother Leader" or "The Guide" in Libya's Socialist Revolution."

http://www.tiempodehoy.com/cultura/historia/los-senusi-el-poder-profundo-de-libia http://totalimages.blogspot.com/2011/10/b-l-u-e-z-gaddafi-life-in-pictures.html http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/138873/20110427/inside-of-gaddafi-s-army.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Libya
 * Sources:**

Name: Zaid Etout

Libya Under Muammar Gaddafi

In 1969 Libya’s king, King Idris, was over thrown by a coup led by 27 year old Muammar Gaddafi. He was named the Commander in Chief of the armed forces and the chairman of Libya’s new ruling body, Revolutionary Command Council.

During the early days of Gaddafi’s rule he had much support from the people. The people liked his Arab nationalist views and socialist-type policies. He demanded that Libya get more of the oil money and began to implement more Islamic laws, as well as banning alcohol. With the death of Egypt’s Nasser in 1970, Gaddafi decided that he should take Arab solidarity into his own hands and began talking to Egypt and Syria. The joining of Libya, Egypt, and Syria was called **The Federation of Arab Republics**; it ended up falling through in 1974 because of the lack of agreement between the states.

Under Gaddafi, Libya was usually in tension with other Arab states and the Western countries. In 1979 Egypt was pursuing a peace agreement with Israel, but Gaddafi was becoming a strong supporter of the Palestinian LiberationOrganization (PLO). He was notable for being supportive of liberation movements in the Arab world and In Africa. Regardless of whether or not he was supportive of liberation movements, his regime was often seen as very tyrannical. The regime ended up getting involved with terror groups and attacks. He was turning on his own people and committing massive atrocities. (to see a list of some of them go to : []).

With much of world beginning to despise the Libyan leader, the Gaddafi regime hit a turning point in 1988 with the Lockerbie Bombing. Near Lockerbie, Scotland, a plane of 270 people was blown up.The suspects were two men from Libya, and Gaddafi refused to give them up. The West now had it out for Gaddafi and America even attempted to kill him. Eventually the suspects were turned over and went to trial.

In light of Lockerbie and the fall of Saddam Hussein, an ally of Gaddafi, Libya’s relations to the Western world changed. Libya went from being very Arab-centric to now renouncing support of terror organization and plots. Gaddafi began meeting with other countries and was promising money for the victims of attacks he was involved in until the end of his regime in 2011.

//By Arooj Anjum//

Bibliography [] [] [] [] [] = = =Libya after Ghaddafi =

As a direct result of the successful revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt in what is so called the Arab Spring, the 15th of February 2011 marked the beginning of the 2011 Libyan Civil War (also referred as the Libyan Revolution) Protestors gathered in the city of Benghazi, leading to recurring clashes with national security forces. With protests spreading all across the country, the forces opposing Ghaddafi declared his rule illegitimate and established a National Transitional Council. In the months to come almost 100 countries recognized the NTC as the governing body in Libya, the UN passed a resolution freezing all of Ghaddafi assets abroad. The revolutionary forces engaged in a coastal offensive retaking several cities, including the capital Tripoli, which sent Ghaddafi to hiding. Finally in October 20th 2011, he was captured and killed leading to the declaration of Libya as a free state on October 23th 2011

Beginning of the Civil War
In late January, a political writer, Jamal Al hajj called for the people on the internet to protest for a Libya with greater freedom. He was later arrested for “hitting someone with his car”, afterwards came the arrest of human rights lawyer Fathi Terbil. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, on February 15th 500-600 protestors demonstrated in front of the police headquarters, which was broken up violently. Many similar protests broke in many parts of the country, splitting the country in half pro and anti ghaddafi forces; Libya was now officially in a civil war.

Reaction of the international community
The international community played a vital role in how the Libyan revolution played out, on March 17th, the UN passed a no fly zone in the Libyan sky and naval blockade the forces that forced Ghaddafi forces into a cease fire. Furthermore a certain percentage of Ghaddafi forces were African mercenaries from countries such as Mali, Chadian and Kenyan. Finally it was NATO rockets that got Ghaddafi out of his hiding from the city of Sirte, thus directly affecting in his capture and death.

What is Libya now?
Libya of right now is led by the NTC, yet it is still very unstable politically, they are forming a temporary government and a constitutional assembly to be able to hold presidential and parliamentary election

Funny Gaddafi Quotes

 * 1- "Democracy means permanent rule". **
 * 2-"Protest however you want but do not go on streets and squares". **
 * 3-" A woman has the right to run for election whether she is male or female" **

Source:
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//By Hussein//