For much of the history of Libya the area was under the control of foreign powers. Similarly, today Libya is experiencing a conflict in which foreign global powers are pulling the strings. In order to understand the complex intricacies of the current Libyan conflict it is important to have a fleshed-out knowledge of the region’s history.
Classical History
The region today known as Libya has been home to people for thousands of years. The region in the past had been passed between competing empires all attempting to gain a strategic footing in Africa for easy trade with the region’s many ethnic groups. The Phoenicians were the first to occupy the area and set up many trading cities. The Phoenicians occupied the area until the Greeks took over. Even today, the ruins of many Greek buildings can still be seen strewn across the Libyan coastline. Many large Greek cities dotted the area and helped to maintain their stronghold in the area.
In the 16th century the Ottomans took control of the regions. It was quickly incorporated into their larger empire and like with the many rulers of the region previously, the area served as an important trading base. The Ottomans maintained control of Libya until World War 1, during which a quickly deteriorating Ottoman Empire lost most of its territory to other world powers. Libya was quickly seized by another imperial power, Italy.
Italian Libya
Between the years 1911 and 1942 Libya was an Italian colony. However, immediately following the Italian take-over of the region a two decades long resistance movement against the colonizers took place. The main resistance leader named Omar al-Mukhtar was eventually captured by Italian forces and executed.
In 1942 during the middle of the second World War the allied forces managed to gain control of Libya and oust the Italians from the region. What followed was a decade-long period in which control of the area was split between the British and French.
Monarch Period
In 1951, Libya became a sovereign state with the monarch Idris al-Sanusi as its head. Under al-Sanusi Libya began allowing foreign investment into the region and several international oil companies began operating in the area. However, in 1969 while away seeking medical care a revolutionary coup was staged which transferred control of the government over to a man named Muammar Gaddafi.
Under Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi was an educated Libyan who had grown disillusioned with imperial powers and their influence on Libya. Gaddafi maintained power from 1969 until his death during the Arab Spring revolts in 2011. During his time in power he committed many human rights violations. Under Gaddafi, Libya experienced a period of rapid economic development. However, in 1988, as a result of a state sponsored terrorist attack on an airliner, the Libyan state was heavily sanctioned and become politically isolated.
After a period of economic stagnation as a result of the sanctions, in the early 2000s Gaddafi and his regime agreed to pay reparations to the families of those affected in the attack. After the reparations were paid Gaddafi completely changed his political stance and began cooperating with western powers.
However, in 2011, after the onset of the Arab Spring revolts, Gaddafi was killed and the first Libyan Civil War began.
First Libyan Civil War
After the death of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 the various actions that worked together to have him removed from power quickly fractured as they could no longer agree on how to organize the government. The international community quickly thereafter began supporting the National Transitional Council (NTC) as the sole sovereign government of Libya (at least temporarily). After a short period of order the transitional government transferred power over to the General National Congress (GNC).
Second Libyan Civil War
The General National Congress set up during the first civil war in Libya was meant to be a temporary institution which had a limited charter. However, in 2014 disputed elections held by the GNC were seen as invalid as the government’s authority had expired. An opposition force organized under the opposing House of Representatives (HoR) in the east named the Libyan National Army began attempting to seize control of the government. The LNA under its leader Khalifa Haftar continually attempted to gain power in the west via force, at one point almost taking control of Tripoli.
In 2020, peace talks mediated by the UN led to an ongoing ceasefire in the region.
Sources
- “Libya Profile – Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Mar. 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445.
- “That It Should Come to This.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, https://www.economist.com/briefing/2015/01/10/that-it-should-come-to-this.
- O’Neill, Aaron. “Libya – Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 1986-2026.” Statista, 3 Nov. 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/455600/gross-domestic-product-gdp-in-libya/.
- “General National Congress.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/General-National-Congress.
- “Who’s Who in Libya’s War?” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/whos-who-libyas-war.
- “Un Salutes New Libya Ceasefire Agreement That Points to ‘A Better, Safer, and More Peaceful Future’ | | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/10/1076012.
- “Libya’s Islamists: Who They Are – and What They Want.” Wilson Center, https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/libyas-islamists-who-they-are-and-what-they-want.
- Allahoum, Ramy. “Libya’s War: Who Is Supporting Whom.” Khalifa Haftar News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 9 Jan. 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/1/9/libyas-war-who-is-supporting-whom.
- Megerisi, Tarek. “Libya’s Global Civil War.” ECFR, 26 June 2019, https://ecfr.eu/publication/libyas_global_civil_war1/#a1.
- “Libya – United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 1 Dec. 2020, https://www.state.gov/reports/country-reports-on-terrorism-2019/libya/.
- Megerisi, Tarek, and Mattia Toaldo. “Russia in Libya, a Driver for Escalation?” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/66391.