Libya Civil Unrest
Libyan Civil Unrest: Planning for a Post-Gadhafi Era
Madhu Rao
Mr. Greene
January 8, 2012
Muammar Gaddafi became the ruler of Libya after he led a military rebellion that overthrew King Idris I in 1969. He then abolished the Libyan Constitution of 1951, and adopted laws based on his own ideology outlined in his manifesto The Green Book. He officially stepped down from power in 1977, and subsequently claimed to be merely a symbolic figurehead until 2011, with the Libyan government up until then also denying that he held any power. Under Gaddafi, Libya was theoretically a dispersed, direct democracy, with Gaddafi retaining a very high position. This meant Libya was officially run by a system of people's groups which served as local governments for the country's subdivisions. However, these structures were frequently manipulated to ensure the dominance of Gaddafi, who allegedly continued to dominate all aspects of the government.
Gaddafi feared a military overthrow against his government and therefore deliberately kept Libya's military relatively weak. The Libyan Army consisted of about 50,000 personnel. It’s most powerful units were four crack brigades of highly equipped and trained soldiers, composed of members of Gaddafi's tribe or members of other tribes loyal to him. Local militias and Revolutionary Committees across the country were also kept well-armed. By contrast, regular military units were poorly armed and trained, and were armed with largely outdated military equipment.
Much of the Libya’s income comes from its oil production, which soared in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a large portion of it was spent on arms purchases, and on sponsoring militant groups and independence movements around the world. Petroleum revenues contributed up to 58% of Libya's GDP. For the Gaddafi Government to calm opposition, they can use the income from natural resources to offer services to the population, or to specific government supporters. Libya's oil wealth being spread
Madhu Rao
Mr. Greene
January 8, 2012
Muammar Gaddafi became the ruler of Libya after he led a military rebellion that overthrew King Idris I in 1969. He then abolished the Libyan Constitution of 1951, and adopted laws based on his own ideology outlined in his manifesto The Green Book. He officially stepped down from power in 1977, and subsequently claimed to be merely a symbolic figurehead until 2011, with the Libyan government up until then also denying that he held any power. Under Gaddafi, Libya was theoretically a dispersed, direct democracy, with Gaddafi retaining a very high position. This meant Libya was officially run by a system of people's groups which served as local governments for the country's subdivisions. However, these structures were frequently manipulated to ensure the dominance of Gaddafi, who allegedly continued to dominate all aspects of the government.
Gaddafi feared a military overthrow against his government and therefore deliberately kept Libya's military relatively weak. The Libyan Army consisted of about 50,000 personnel. It’s most powerful units were four crack brigades of highly equipped and trained soldiers, composed of members of Gaddafi's tribe or members of other tribes loyal to him. Local militias and Revolutionary Committees across the country were also kept well-armed. By contrast, regular military units were poorly armed and trained, and were armed with largely outdated military equipment.
Much of the Libya’s income comes from its oil production, which soared in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a large portion of it was spent on arms purchases, and on sponsoring militant groups and independence movements around the world. Petroleum revenues contributed up to 58% of Libya's GDP. For the Gaddafi Government to calm opposition, they can use the income from natural resources to offer services to the population, or to specific government supporters. Libya's oil wealth being spread