Muammar Qaddafi

The Libyan Revolution of 2011 initiated with nonviolent political protests modeled after the events in Tunisia and Egypt, and quickly escalated to a full fledge civil war. Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi obtained the role of the official ruler of Libya in 1969 by a bloodless coup d’etat against King Idris. Gaddafi remained the official ruler of Libya from 1969 until 1977. (Calvocoressi, 2001) Subsequent to 1977, he referred to himself as a symbolic figurehead until the revolt in 2011, which contributed to his death. Gaddafi was the longest-serving Arab leader and commonly referred to himself as the King of Kings. Gaddafi’s reign over civilians was mostly based on fear. The Libyan conflict differed from the conflicts in Tunisia and

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the United States, including its allies, waged brutal campaigns directed at the Al Qaeda leadership and, the Taliban in the Middle East. America’s fight against terrorism nonetheless consumed billions of dollars since the 9/11 attacks. Earlier, countries such as England, Spain, Italy, and Russia, similarly waged wars against the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, the Red Brigades and the Chechnya separatists. In most of these cases, research shed light on the mechanisms that led to the demise or the defeat of these terrorist groups. However, when it comes to similar groups located in the southern hemispheric countries such as Nigeria, the mechanisms leading to the group

Almost three years after he died, the United States and Pakistan have officially announced the death of Mullah Mohamed Omar, Taliban leader and arch-terrorist. The Afghan government announced that it holds credible information that in April 2013, Omar died in Pakistan. The US State Department also confirmed the news, but did not give

U.S. diplomatic ties with Libya were fated to fall apart ever since 1969, when Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi “overthrew the unpopular pro-Western monarchy of King Idris.” Less than one year in 1970, after assuming power in Libya, Qaddafi started to put Libya onto a path of independence from Western aid and control by putting the country’s resources “under state control and alliances forged with nearby Arab nations.” It was during this year that Qaddafi also “expelled US oil firms that had invested in the country and banned US military vessels from Libyan waters. The US responded in kind by “freezing Libyan assets in US banks” and by getting the UN Security Council nations to impose economic sanctions and trade embargos on Libya for its involvement in a 1991 terrorist attack on a passenger jet over Scotland, leaving

The United States (U.S.) has strategic interests in a stable Libya. The U.S. established diplomatic relations with Libya following the United Nations (UN) supported declaration of independence in 1951. A stable Libya requires the U.S. to continue endorsing support for a free, democratic nation due to Libya being an active member of the international community (Libya, n.d.). Furthermore, building democratic institutions, protecting the universal rights of all Libyans, promoting accountable and honest government, rebuilding its economy, and establishing security throughout the country are challenges Libya faces. This study will discuss the significance of U.S. involvement in stabilizing Libya, regional impacts of potential economic fallout, security and U.S. national security (Affairs, 2013). The U.S focus in Libya supports capacity building efforts within the government institutions, developing civil society and facilitating free and fair elections since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 (Libya, n.d.). Instability in Libya will affect the world’s U.S. based major oil companies invested and operating within Libya. Furthermore, the U.S. has a trade and investment framework agreement with Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (a free trade area with twenty member states stretching from Libya to Swaziland) to consider if sanctions are once more placed upon Libya (Libya, n.d.). To counter this instability, the U.S. coordinates projects with the United Nations

The United States, under Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have released its remarks on the current Libyan conflict. The President reiterated his support for the no-fly zone and is advocating for a peaceful transition to democracy within this region. The following will address the possible reasons for the Obama Administration’s actions, the United States’ perception of this issue and an assessment of how this statement fits in with the broader development of American foreign policy. It will also

Independent Libya started as a constitutional monarchy with Islam as the state religion. Eventually many Libyans grew dissatisfied with King Idris due to his pro-Western stance, wealth among his top loyalists, and the growth of pan-Arabism from Egypt’s Nasser (441-2).

Firstly, he had abandoned the post 1951 Libyan constitution and put his own laws in place in 1970. This kept him and whom he trusted in places of power, even after he left his governmental position. So, although some Libyans had the illusion of freedom while ‘electing’, he had complete power.

In this fight of us vs. them, the U.S. has tried to position itself as a democratic force for modernity, further reinforcing Islamic fundamentalists’ fear of secular humanistic modernism as a western import being imposed by force. An embrace of fundamentalism therefore became a source of empowerment and pride—a desire to return to a more sovereign and traditional tribal past. The same Gallup poll showed that while most of those surveyed condemned the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the resulting American campaign in Afghanistan was seen as an unjustified and arrogant aggression. The rising tide of public disillusionment with the West, and the modernity is chooses to represent, has created fertile ground for Islamic extremists to reap the benefits.

Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, and completely enclosed by the Sahara Desert, Libya is a low-populated country that was once was a part of the Roman province of New Africa. While the sum region is close up to 680,000 square miles, the population is close to merely 5.6 million, appearing in a low community frequency of 9.4 persons every square mile. Libya has a Parliamentary Government. A parliamentary democracy is a democratic form of government in which the party with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government. So instead of having the separation of powers like we do here in the United States, Libya’s government has its powers placed in one main section.

To help mitigate the manpower losses, IS has turned to conscription in some areas. Iraqi expert Hisham al-Hashimi believes only 30% of the group 's fighters are "ideologues", with the remainder joining out of fear or coercion. A significant number of IS fighters are neither Iraqi nor Syrian. In October 2015, National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen told Congress that the group had attracted more than 28,000 foreign fighters. They included at least 5,000 Westerners, approximately 250 of them Americans, he said. Studies by the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) and the New York-based Soufan Group suggest that while about a quarter of the foreign fighters are from the West, the majority are from nearby Arab countries, such as Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and Morocco” ("What Is 'Islamic State '?"). By late 2014, cells of militants claiming to be affiliates or direct extensions of ISIL had emerged in a number of conflict zones in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Existing insurgent groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and some elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan also pledged their allegiance to ISIL. Outside of Iraq and Syria, ISIL-affiliated groups appeared to be most strongly established in North Africa. In Libya—fragmented by factional conflict after the deposal of Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011—ISIL claimed

Since the execution of Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders, international terrorism seems to be on the decline with some even arguing that terrorism will end sooner than we expected. However, through waves of recent bombings, bloody kidnappings, and remorseless assassinations, Nigeria has proven that while terrorism may be on the decline, local terrorist groups seem to still be on the rise and the unprecedented terrorist operations of Boko Haram have shattered the hope that peace is returning to Africa’s most populous country any time soon (“Boko Haram”).

The carnage at Sousse exposed the Tunisian authorities’ inability to tackle on their own the country’s growing security challenges. Tunisia’s successful transition to democracy, the legitimacy of its government and the bravery of its armed forces are not enough to save it. Nor should anyone in Europe and the West comfort themselves with the idea that the jihadist movement will eventually self-destruct.

The West African country of Mali has from time to time been mired in un-ending overlapping humanitarian, political, economic, and security crises. Notably, the situation in the country became worse when the government was destabilized and later overthrown in a 2012 military coup. Following the coup, insurgents were quick to capitalize on the resulting power vacuum and seize a greater portion of this country’s vast sparsely populated north. As of 2013, a number of loosely connected extremist groups including Al Qaeda were in full control of most towns in the northern region. It is estimated that the region that has from time to time fallen under their control is as large as Texas. In as much as the number of insurgent combatants (mainly Islamic) seems to be relatively small, they are now notorious, and have become more entrenched. The seriousness of their entrenchment is boosted by the fact that they have gone as far as ousting a separatist group of ethnic Tuaregs that had initially been very influential, even in recruiting members among locals. Meanwhile, the nominally civilian-dominated government (based in the capital Bamako) formed in the post-coup period continues to be weakened gradually by continuous internal wrangles and military interference. In addition, years of mega corruption and mismanagement seem to have stagnated progress in many state

Extremism is a rotten apple that has affected the condition of our societies. From developed countries to developing countries, individuals with bad intentions have succeeded in their attempt to marginalized religious minorities. In Europe, the Muslim minorities are victims of attacks from extreme-right groups who diabolized them for electoral purposes. Also, the rise of extremism is a reality in Africa, Asia or the Middle East. In Africa, as it occurs in the Nigeria, people motivated by vile religious leaders have come to confront people of different faith in an escalation of