United States' West Asian Insecurity Part Two: Libya and Gaddafi

Portrayed as a milestone in Libya’s freedom from tyranny, Gaddafi’s killing once again signified the United States’ best described as the “West Asian Insecurity” — another feather in the cap of neo-imperialists.  Libyans had expected, despite the post-invasion Iraqi democratic model being unambiguous, the National Transitional Council to secure recognition from those other than contributors in NATO bombing, which although was achieved yet the former’s control and authority still end with a question mark. The political landscape of the country, a decade after the illegal attack, remains chaotic. Scenario analogous to Chinese warlordism prevails with armed militias contesting for control, no central authority to keep order and rampant human rights violations, most horrifically the slave markets. Libya’s return to normalcy is distancing from reality and the once flourishing nation has entered the list of failed states much owed to the neo-liberal assault.

Five decades earlier, amidst a cloud of anti-imperialist sentiment in West Asia, a young Bedouin or as Reagan named him “the Mad Dog of the Middle East” emerged as the leading figure in Libyan Siyasat. Idolising Egypt’s Nasser, the Colonel set out to bring unprecedented glory to his nation after toppling the corrupt Senussi Monarch. The poverty and corruption ridden nation soon transformed into a wealthy powerhouse with the subjective well-being of the populace decupled within a blink of an eye. Gaddafi’s erratic foreign policy however, marked by megalomania and hostility towards the West, coupled with his unconventional actions both at home and abroad, left behind a controversial and bloody legacy of the former Libyan strongman.

While Gaddafi deserves much of the credit, Libya was once the most prosperous country in Africa, on par with European superpowers. Nationalising its enormous oil reserves helped the country’s finances, which in turn allowed for the introduction of progressive reforms and welfare programmes that greatly enhanced the lives of Libyans. Social services unprecedented in the Arab world were offered. Instances include free housing, free electricity, unemployment allowances. Women rights in Gaddafist Libya deserves separate recognition considering the setting. But as is customary in a totalitarian structure, instances of state violence were existent along with the Brotherly Leader’s infamous harem where young girls were recruited to “serve the nation and the leader”.  Over the course of the last century, Libya underwent several alterations: from colonialism and slavery prior to Second World War to symbolic independence under a pro-Western puppet monarchy to eventual independence from Western control and prosperity under an authoritarian regime to, at last, a failed state. Libyan politics was made more difficult and uncertain by Gaddafi’s volatile behaviour and ambiguous ideologies. In addition, the Libyan leader was embroiled in much bigger conspiracy that finally led to his downfall.

Incessantly hard-line, the Libyan strongman clutched the Jamahiriya despite his advocacy of “authority of the people”. A typical illustration of a dictatorship, the Gaddafist regime had minimal tolerance for dissent — public executions stirred obedience among the masses and swift eliminations of dissidents abroad satisfied, to some extent, the paranoia of the leader. His aggressive foreign policy that aimed to leave a mark at the global level failed in the region only. A series of humiliating defeats at the hands of immediate neighbours were followed by a serious confrontation with the United States which retaliated with a bombing campaign of Tripoli. Gaddafi’s opportunistic approach and shifting alliances given benefits kept the world but him in confusion. Sudden reversals of support bewildered his allies, enemies and public alike which contributed significantly to his lack of support and isolation by the time of his last stand. A prominent instance can be his unexpected opening to the West in the last decade of the previous century to improve his tarnished image and mend relations with what was now the only superpower left, which in turn gained a new ally in the strategically significant region but at the same time intending to get hands over Libya’s rich resources. This complexity for alliances coupled with the sinister plans of the West set the stage for an uncontrolled turmoil that reached a finale with a bloody civil war and international invention leading to mass deaths, Gaddafi’s’ brutal rape and murder and the beginning of the end of the Great Libyan Jamahiriya.

Amidst a period of relative calm in the country that has been described as the opening up of Libya towards the West and eased tensions, the latter waited for the perfect opportunity to “democratize” Libya and they found one when some frustrated Libyans revolted against their leader as part of the wider Arb spring. Ever before, there had been occurrences of confidential negotiations with disloyal Libyan officials as well as schemes for safeguarding Western interests put in place. Although Gaddafi was now an ally of those whom he once wanted to destroy, he was never fully trusted because of his uncertain nature — his removal long been planned, as soon as the imperilaist powers got an oppurtunity to replace him with a better alternative, they didn’t think twice . As a reaction to the uprising, the Libyan government engaged in violence and the protestors, which now is clear, consisted of armed terrorists funded by just about everyone furthering their objectives and this sparked a full-fledged civil war in Libya. Meanwhile, the United States and its European counterparts, alerted by their potential loss of control over the region and particularly careful of their agenda, exaggerated the human right violations categorizing them as a state sponsored genocide by Gaddafi against innocents, unlawfully headed the NATO intervention to weaken the government loyalists. Even though the intervention’s declared purpose was to protect people, it eventually cost a great deal of lives in order to overthrow Gaddafi and seize control of Libya’s precious resources. As stated from the beginning by the Libyan leader, the Libyan armed forces were up against a variety of enemy militias on the ground, including terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, which were supported and funded by Western powers and some Arab countries in order to push advance their own ends. As it turned out, opportunists and imperialist forces looking to take advantage of Libya’s plentiful resources had hijacked the actual rebellion of common Libyans.

One of the world’s most famous leaders, was found severely injured hiding in a drain pipe begging for his life and after being subjected to torturous acts, was shot and finally killed by an alleged French agent among the rebels. All has become apparent — a conspiracy orchestrated by you know who, driven by their lust for Libyan resources mostly oil reserves, substantial gold and silver deposits and increased presence as it always has been, in West Asia. In especial, Gaddafi’s bold ambition of creating an African economic union with a single gold-backed currency and a central bank patterned on Libya’s produced the Western intervention that finally brought him down. This directly threatened US currency supremacy and put European imperialist interests on the continent at risk, which is what prompted the traditional regime change. Gaddafi’s vision for Africa was viewed by those who wanted to keep control of the continent as a daunting hurdle. His reputation as an outcast did not win him any major supporters and Western propoganda swiftly directed the narrative against him.

Subsequent to Gaddafi’s overthrow, Libya descended into yet another civil war, bringing anarchy to the country marked by rampant human trafficking, rising crime rates, and the control of terrorist militias involved in bloody engagements. As mentioned earlier, Libya has joined the ranks of a failed state with absolutely zero chances of recovery. Libyans are at par with Iraqis having been made a fool of by the West and are constantly trying to flee their country. Obama recently labelled his intervention in Libya as a mistake but has expiation ever recompensed the loss? While Gaddafi may not have been perfect, as Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni rightly noted, Western meddling in African affairs was unjustified and ultimately harmful.  Often overlooked, this affair serves as a staunch reminder of the consequences that can follow due to foreign meddling in sovereign affairs. Further, it cautions the state actors as to a nuanced approach in international arena.