BONUS LINK: My entire (so far) grad school notes collection can be found here.
Libya as a Case Study in the Difficulty of Developing a Scratch Democracy
Owens is
clear that there is no reliable method to determine the cost and method by
which to create a democracy (there’s not even a prevailing opinion on the
matter). So then perhaps the best
solution is to espouse Huntington’s “Peace Among Civilizations;” it stands to reason that the states best
poised to assist a country in transitioning to a democracy would come from
within their own civilization. If one is
to accept the claim of Mansfield and Snyder that adolescent or “partial”
democracies fight more often (and are a larger threat externally) than stable,
mature democracies, then a carefully structured and supported transition is of
ultimate importance. The problem with
this rationale emerges when then if there are no (or few) democratic states in
that civilization.
An example
of this is found in Libya. This nation
stands as a daily study in the difficulty of developing a democracy. In Libya’s case, completing the first step of
instituting a rule of law is a behemoth task, since Gaddafi stifled any and all
institutions during his 40-year reign.
That Libya only has existed as a nation for just over 60 years (previous
to that it was a federation of three provinces) adds to the difficult
undertaking. Libya’s case is further
complicated in that it is not a cohesive nation-state, but rather a
coalition (as opposed to a more permanent alliance) of disparate ethnic, tribal
and religious groups. This was evident
in the revolution against the Gaddafi regime.
This international effort turned out to be a coalition within a
coalition—disparate groups only temporarily cooperating for a common goal.
Further question for discussion:
If emerging democracies tend to be outwardly aggressive, are
they also more likely to be inwardly suppressive (toward minority or
disenfranchised groups)?
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