Editing Politics of Libya (section)

== Muammar Gaddafi bequeths a "Shallow State" ==
{{Politics of Libya}}

The '''politics of Libya''' has been shaped by the "shallow state" ceded by former authoritarian leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was overthrown in 2011 in the midst of the Arab revolutions; apart from being an oil economy, Gaddafi's shallow state constructed weak governance capacity within security structures, institutions, and bureaucracy. Ruling from 1969 to 2011, Gaddafi's repressive rule allowed for him to deconstruct state structures and security, forcing the state to be rebuilt after his downfall.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Randall |first=Edward |date=2015 |title=After Qadhafi: Development and Democratization in Libya |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43698234?searchText=Libyan+politics&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch?Query=Libyan+politics&so=rel&efqs=eyJjdHkiOlsiYW05MWNtNWhiQT09Il19&ab_segments=0/basic_search_gsv2/control&refreqid=fastly-default:14a0e2689485ea2a447727eda0709fa2&seq=16 |journal=Middle East Journal |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=199–221 |issn=0026-3141}}</ref> As an oil-rich state with an abundance of petro-dollars, Gaddafi's rule did not require political appeasement from citizens, since the government derived means of power through oil wealth.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kasaija |first=Phillip Apuuli |date=2013-01-01 |title=The African Union (AU), the Libya Crisis and the notion of ‘African solutions to African problems’ |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02589001.2012.761463 |journal=Journal of Contemporary African Studies |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=117–138 |doi=10.1080/02589001.2012.761463 |issn=0258-9001}}</ref>[[File:Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2010.jpg|center|thumb|240x240px|Muammar Gaddafi in 2010]]The first human rights report against the Gaddafi Foundation was submitted in 1999 in hopes of immediate reform. Unfortunately, reports were periodically submitted over the following 10 years, with a notable Human Rights Watch report in December 2009, and ultimately intensified repression from Gaddafi's regime. Namely, in response to the 2009 report, Gaddafi banned all civil society organizations, closed newspapers, and arrested journalists speaking out against the regime's corruption and abuse of its citizens.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Selmi |first=Noureddine |date=2025-12-31 |title=Libya in transition: governance challenges and civil society’s prospects in political and economic reforms |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23779497.2025.2449614#abstract |journal=Global Security: Health, Science and Policy |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=2449614 |doi=10.1080/23779497.2025.2449614|doi-access=free }}</ref> Overall, his four-decade rule, Gaddafi exemplified the strategy of systemically overpowering opposition and obstructing civil society formation. 
The political divide and pressure from groups with differing religious, regional, or ethnic affiliations and goals for the country contributed to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, as well as the collapse of the [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libyan Arab Jamahiriya]] in 2011, an economic model which rejects capitalism and favors a stateless and socialist society.<ref name=":0" /> Despite its anti-western position, this economic model relied on foreign trade, weaponry, and technology to sustain totalitarian control; this model facilitated wealth disparities and the centralization of power, while deconstructing state and social institutions.<ref name=":3" />

These uprisings temporarily unified the disparate groups within Libya. Although, the flaws in institutions left by Gaddafi brought back the divide within various religious, regional, and ethnic groups. Ultimately, the unrest following Gaddafi's ousting led to Libya's [[Libyan civil war (2014–2020)|recent civil war]] and various [[jihad]]ists and tribal elements controlling parts of the country.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/feb/19/libya-against-itself/|magazine=The New York Review of Books|title=Libya Against Itself|first=Nicolas|last=Pelham|date=February 2015|access-date=18 February 2015}}</ref>

On 10 March 2021, the interim [[Government of National Unity (Libya)|Government of National Unity (GNU)]], unifying the [[Second Al-Thani Cabinet]] and the [[Government of National Accord]] was formed, only to face new opposition in [[Government of National Stability]], until [[Libyan Political Dialogue Forum]] assured the ongoing ceasefire.