Editing Muammar Gaddafi (section)

===Foundation: 1977===

On 2 March 1977, the General People's Congress adopted the "[[Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People]]" at Gaddafi's behest. Dissolving the Libyan Arab Republic, it was replaced by the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ({{langx|ar|الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الاشتراكية}}, ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Jamāhīrīyah al-‘Arabīyah al-Lībīyah ash-Sha‘bīyah al-Ishtirākīyah}})'', a "state of the masses" conceptualized by Gaddafi.{{sfnm|1a1=Bearman|1y=1986|1pp=154–155|2a1=Blundy|2a2=Lycett|2y=1987|2p=105|3a1=Kawczynski|3y=2011|3pp=26–27|4a1=St. John|4y=2012|4pp=166–168}} A new, all-green banner was adopted as the country's flag.{{sfn|Bearman|1986|p=155}} Officially, the ''Jamahiriya'' was a [[direct democracy]] in which the people ruled themselves through the 187 [[Basic People's Congress (political)|Basic People's Congress]]es (BPCs), where all adult Libyans participated and voted on national decisions. These then sent members to the annual General People's Congress, which was broadcast live on television. In principle, the People's Congresses were Libya's highest authority, with major decisions proposed by government officials or with Gaddafi himself requiring the consent of the People's Congresses.{{sfnm|1a1=El-Khawas|1y=1984|1p=27|2a1=Blundy|2a2=Lycett|2y=1987|2p=29|3a1=St. John|3y=2012|3pp=166–168|4a1=Vandewalle|4y=2008b|4pp=19–20}} Gaddafi became General Secretary of the GPC, although he stepped down from this position in early 1979 and appointed himself "Leader of the Revolution".{{sfn|St. John|1987|p=13}}

[[File:Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg|thumb|left|[[Flag of Libya]] (1977–2011)]]

Although all political control was officially vested in the People's Congresses, in reality Libya's existing political leadership continued to exercise varying degrees of power and influence.{{sfn|Bearman|1986|p=155}} Debate remained limited, and major decisions regarding the economy and defence were avoided or dealt with cursorily; the GPC largely remained "a rubber stamp" for Gaddafi's policies.{{sfn|Blundy|Lycett|1987|p=29}} On rare occasions, the GPC opposed Gaddafi's suggestions, sometimes successfully; notably, when Gaddafi called on primary schools to be abolished, believing that [[home schooling|homeschooling]] was healthier for children, the GPC rejected the idea.{{sfn|Blundy|Lycett|1987|p=29}} In other instances, Gaddafi pushed through laws without the GPC's support, such as when he desired to allow women into the armed forces.{{sfn|Harris|1986|pp=67–68}} At other times, he ordered snap elections when it appeared that the GPC would enact laws he opposed.{{sfn|St. John|1987|pp=133–134}} Gaddafi proclaimed that the People's Congresses provided for Libya's every political need, rendering other political organizations unnecessary; all non-authorized groups, including political parties, professional associations, independent trade unions, and women's groups, were banned.{{sfnm|1a1=Kawczynski|1y=2011|1p=27|2a1=St. John|2y=2012|2pp=166–168}} Despite these restrictions, St. John noted that the ''Jamahiriya'' system still "introduced a level of representation and participation hitherto unknown in Libya".{{sfn|St. John|1987|p=134}}

With preceding legal institutions abolished, Gaddafi envisioned the ''Jamahiriya'' as following the [[Qur'an]] for legal guidance, adopting ''sharia'' law; he proclaimed "man-made" laws unnatural and dictatorial, only permitting [[God in Islam|Allah]]'s law.{{sfnm|1a1=Kawczynski|1y=2011|1pp=27–28|2a1=St. John|2y=2012|2p=167}} Within a year he was backtracking, announcing that ''sharia'' was inappropriate for the ''Jamahiriya'' because it guaranteed the protection of private property, contravening ''The Green Book''{{'s}} socialism.{{sfn|Vandewalle|2008b|p=28}} His emphasis on placing his own work on a par with the Qur'an led conservative clerics to accuse him of ''[[Shirk (Islam)|shirk]]'', furthering their opposition to his regime.{{sfn|Harris|1986|p=50}} In July 1977, a [[Egyptian–Libyan War|border war broke out]] with Egypt, in which the Egyptians defeated Libya despite their technological inferiority. The conflict lasted one week before both sides agreed to sign a peace treaty that was brokered by several Arab states.{{sfnm|1a1=Bearman|1y=1986|1pp=170–171|2a1=Blundy|2a2=Lycett|2y=1987|2p=105|3a1=Vandewalle|3y=2008b|3p=35|4a1=Kawczynski|4y=2011|4pp=67–68|5a1=St. John|5y=2012|5p=183}} Both Egypt and Sudan had aligned themselves with the US, and this pushed Libya into a strategic, although not political, alignment with the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Bearman|1986|p=168}} In recognition of the growing commercial relationship between Libya and the Soviets, Gaddafi was invited to visit Moscow in December 1976; there, he entered talks with [[Leonid Brezhnev]].{{sfnm|1a1=Bearman|1y=1986|1p=169|2a1=St. John|2y=1987|2p=76|3a1=St. John|3y=2012|3p=180}} In August 1977, he visited [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], where he met its leader [[Josip Broz Tito]], with whom he had a much warmer relationship.{{sfn|Bearman|1986|p=169}} He also enjoyed a warm relationship with [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romania]]n leader [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]. According to Romanian spy chief [[Ion Mihai Pacepa]], Gaddafi once exclaimed to Ceaușescu, "My brother! You are my brother for the rest of my life!"<ref>Muammar Gaddafi, as quoted in {{cite book |author-link=Ion Mihai Pacepa |first=Ion Mihai |last=Pacepa |year=1987 |title=Red Horizons: Chronicles of a Communist Spy Chief |publisher=Regnery Gateway |page=101 |isbn=9780895265708 }}</ref> After Pacepa defected to the US in July 1978, Gaddafi and [[Yasser Arafat]] contributed $1 million each to Ceaușescu's $4 million bounty on Pacepa.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Obituaries |first=Telegraph |date=25 February 2021 |title=Ion Mihai Pacepa, Romanian spy and star defector who revealed the sordid reality of the Ceausescus and their regime – obituary |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/02/25/ion-mihai-pacepa-romanian-spy-star-defector-revealed-sordid/ |access-date=11 February 2023 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211132556/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/02/25/ion-mihai-pacepa-romanian-spy-star-defector-revealed-sordid/ |url-status=live }}</ref>