Libya

On Topic

Two years after Libya’s revolution and the death of Muammar Qaddafi, the nation’s transition remains marred by security and civil-military issues, particularly in regard to armed militias outside of state control. In September 2012, U.S.-Libyan relations were put to the test after an attack on the American consulate in Benghazi resulted in the death of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his colleagues. Brookings experts explore current events in Libya and asses their implications for future U.S. relations in the region.

Demonstrators calling for the General National Congress to meet their demands gather at Freedom Square in Benghazi (REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori).

Opinion

The Libyan Revolution at Two

February 22, 2013, Ibrahim Sharqieh

Ibrahim Sharqieh writes that in spite of a strong start for Libya’s transition process—noted by generally free and fair parliamentary elections, political party formation, proliferation of civil society, and a comparably small divide between Islamists and liberals—the country has in many ways become a blank state. Sharqieh says widespread divisions among revolutionaries, exacerbated by a “culture of the victor,” and a lack of progress toward enacting a process of national reconciliation must be addressed in the short-term.

Recent Activity

Refine by: Middle East and North Africa | The Arab Awakening and Middle East Unrest | Egypt | U.S. Foreign Policy

Book

The Arab Awakening
America and the Transformation of the Middle East

2011, Akram Al-Turk , Pavel K. Baev, Daniel L. Byman, Michael Doran, Khaled Elgindy, Stephen R. Grand, Shadi Hamid, Bruce Jones, Suzanne Maloney, Jonathan D. Pollack, Kenneth M. Pollack, Bruce Riedel, Ruth H. Santini, Salman Shaikh, Ibrahim Sharqieh, Ömer Taşpınar, Shibley Telhami and Sarah Yerkes
Book

Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism

2007, Daniel L. Byman