Libya: divided we fall

Everyone wants power but no one has control

By Brian Whitaker

"“No group/party (revolutionary/not) no city (revolutionary/not) no region (revolutionary/not) can rule Libya alone, no matter what.”

This comment, posted on Twitter, more or less sums up Libya’s problem. Until all the competing factions recognise their own limitations and act accordingly there will be no progress.

In Libya, of course, that doesn’t just apply to politicians. With plentiful supplies of weapons still in private hands as a result of the revolution that overthrew Gaddafi, many seek to express their views through force of arms instead of – or sometimes in combination with – the ballot box.......

The Brotherhood has never been popular in Libya and it won only about 10% of the votes in last year’s elections to the GNC. Despite its lack of electoral success, however, the Brotherhood is perceived as having maximised its political influence “through its various coalitions within the GNC, its powerful regional alliances, and its ties to Islamist militias”. One example of this is the Political Isolation Law, under which the Brotherhood is seen as the main beneficiary.

The ousting of the Brotherhood’s government by the military in Egypt has also opened up debate about the future role of Libya’s army.....

The problem with this is that a majoritarian approach doesn’t really work for drafting a constitution. Unless the resulting document has a very broad consensus of support and is seen as inclusive it is unlikely to be respected."

A RELATED COMMENT FROM AZMI BISHARA:

"الإسلاميون والقوميون واليساريون لم يقوموا بعملية مراجعة حقيقية لتاريخهم مع الديمقراطية. فلا يحاضرن أحدا منهم على الآخر فيها. التواضع مطلوب هنا. والعروبيون الذين انتمي إليهم لم يراجعوا تاريخهم مع الديمقراطية نقديا، ولم يكملوا يوما استيعابها قيميا وسياسيا. ومن هنا ما زالوا ينجذبون للعسكر بسهولة.‬"

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