But what about Libya post-collapse?

In our view, the Libyan situation does not allow one to see a way out of the crisis for many reasons. After Qadhafi’s fall, the fight for control of the country took place in a context with no State and thus no monopoly on violence. And since then, no solution has been found, whether it be the 2012 or 2014 elections, the UN resolutions or local actors’ attempts to unite the country, or even undemocratic and violent ones like Haftar’s attempts to take control by force. And because of this situation where no compromise can be found and no major player can impose himself, the country is divided into two parts with a government for each. These failures have some identifiable causes. In Libya there is an absence of political and democratic culture caused by lack of experience. Also, the first government tried to create legitimacy through the ballot before solving important problems like security and the implementation of solid institutions allowing for the launch of a reconciliation process.

Therefore, the elected governments could not gain the legitimacy to allow them to engage reforms and to stabilize the whole country. In addition, the security aspect is fundamental because its disorganization, caused by the multiplication of militias and the state’s incapacity to take control, did not offer an environment favourable to the transition and even pushed towards the country’s fragmentation. So, if the situation in Libya complicates the possibility of finding a way out, and the last years of conflict, violence and the growing involvement and multiplication of foreign actors seems to confirm that, how can we produce peace?

What are the potential solutions in peacemaking? It is crucial to launch a reconciliation process and to establish justice, without excluding the people who worked within the Qadhafi regime as was done in the past. It is essential to reintegrate into a peaceful economic system the fighters and everybody else who benefits or depends on the war economy by finding them a long-term place in society. It is indeed necessary to reconcile and demilitarize the country in order to reduce the number of armed groups and to establish a feeling of safety amongst the citizens. A state must be created with a democratic and accountable judiciary, administrative, security and political system. These steps are fundamental for the legitimacy of the future state.

Beside these points, the Libyan situation is very complex and the numerous alliances are always changing in line with interests as diverse as they are overlapping. But we have to keep in mind that the end of the crisis is mostly analysed through an occidental vision and the nation state model. For Christopher Clapham (1), the idea that every portion of the world has to be a part of a state was born with the nation state model, and the situation is observed in this light. But it is not an easy task to maintain a functioning state, and maybe the model is not always achievable. We should perhaps consider some alternative systems, work on questions of governance and move towards a negotiated solution between the main stakeholders.

Reference:

1 Clapham, Christopher. « The Global-Local Politics of State Decay » When States Fail: Causes and Consequences. Éd. Rotberg, Robert I. Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2004. 77.

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