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Libya - Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya |
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Libya - Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab JamahiriyaThe Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or Libya (Arabic: ?????, transliterated Libiyya) is a country in North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, located between Egypt on the east, Sudan on the southeast, Chad and Niger on the south and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. Its capital city is Tripoli. The three traditional sections of the country are Tripolitania, the Fezzan and Cyrenaica. The name "Libya" derives from the ancient Egyptian term "Lebu", referring to Berber peoples living west of the Nile, and adopted into Greek as "Libya". In ancient Greece, the term had a broader meaning, encompassing all of North Africa west of Egypt, and sometimes referring to the entire continent of Africa History of LibyaRuins of Leptis Magna in LibyaTripoli and Cyrenaica were Roman colonies until they were conquered by Arab Muslims in the 7th century. By the 19th century the area was an increasingly independent Ottoman province until it came under the control of Italy in 1912. After the Second World War Libya was granted independence as a condition of the Allied peace treaty with Italy. Since 1969 Libya has been ruled by Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi, who came to power in a coup and deposed the Libyan monarchy of King Idris and declared the establishment of the Libyan Arab Republic. Qaddafi moved quickly to nationalize foreign assets, expel foreign troops, and close foreign libraries and cultural centers. At the time, Libya was the fourth largest oil producer in the non-communist world, surpassed only by Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela. The Qaddafi government rapidly began to nationalize Libya's oil companies, taking complete control of some while forcing others to surrender majority control to the government. Eventually, Qaddafi expelled all Western oil men from the country with the result that Libyan production dropped dramatically. According to this BusinessWeek article, because of the nationalization of its oil companies and the U.S. led sanctions, notably in 1992 by the United Nations, in 2005 Libyan production was still down by more than 50% from its peak in 1970. Qaddafi rejected both Soviet Communism and Western capitalism and claimed that he was charting an independent course, portraying himself as a champion of "oppressed peoples" and Third World nations seeking to assert their independence on the international stage. Despite this, he received mostly Soviet support until the USSR's collapse in 1991. U.S.-Libyan relations deteriorated when in December 2, 1979, Libyan mobs sacked the United States embassy in Tripoli. Qaddafi referred to the incident as a "spontaneous demonstration" and denied any involvement. It is suspected that he ordered the attack to show sympathy to Ayatollah Khomeini and the new government of Iran. In May 1980, the United States withdrew all U.S. diplomats but did not break off diplomatic ties with Libya. In 1980, the Libyan government paid Jimmy Carter's brother, Billy Carter, $220,000 to lobby for better diplomatic relations between the United States and Libya. On May 6, 1981, four and a half months after Ronald Reagan became president of the United States, the United States government accused the Libyan government of sponsoring international terrorism. All Libyan diplomats were expelled and the United States officially broke diplomatic relations between the two nations. That same day, the US closed the Libyan "People's Bureau" (embassy) in Washington, D.C. On August 2, 1981, American jets shot down two attacking Libyan warplanes during US naval exercises in the Gulf of Sidra, which Libya claims as national waters. The Reagan administration saw Libya as an unacceptable player on the international stage because of its backing of Palestinian armed groups, its support for revolutionary Iran in its 1980-1988 war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq (see Iran-Iraq War), and its assistance to guerrilla movements in different parts of the world, many which were conducted by separatist groups such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). In March 1982 the U.S. declared a ban on the import of Libyan petroleum and the export to Libya of U.S. industrial technology items, most of which were used for oil; Europe did not follow suit. Relations between the UK and Libya became strained following the 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege, when shots were fired at a crowd of protesters, killing a policewoman, leading to a break in relations. The U.S. attacked Libyan patrol boats from January to March 1986 during clashes over access to the Gulf of Sidra, which Libya claimed as territorial waters but was not recognized internationally. Qaddafi had long referred to it as the "line of death". Later, on April 14, 1986, Reagan ordered major bombing raids against suspected terrorist sites in Tripoli and Benghazi that killed approximately 60 people. The bombings followed U.S. accusations of Libyan involvement in an explosion at the West Berlin La Belle nightclub frequented by U.S. servicemen on April 5, which had killed 3. Among the victims of the April 14 bombing raid was the adopted daughter of Qaddafi. However the raid appeared to have had its desired effect as Libyan attacks against Americans became more subtle, with the exception of the Lockerbie bombing. The United Nations imposed sanctions against Libya in 1992 following the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing. Elaborate diplomatic maneuvers in 1998 and 1999 led finally in April to Qaddafi's handing over two Libyans for trial of the Lockerbie bombing. In January 2001 the Pan Am 103 trial ended with one conviction (with life imprisonment) and one acquittal. Qaddafi denounced the conviction. The sanctions were lifted on September 12, 2003, after Libya agreed to accept responsibility and make payment of US $2.7 billion to the families of those who died in the bombing. In the same vein, on February 26, 2004, the United States lifted its 23-year travel ban to Libya, and on September 21 that year eliminated the remaining economic sanctions, lifting the prohibitions of the Libyan Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 550, and unblocking property and property interests previously restricted under those regulations. Wall carpet depicting Col. Muammar Gadhafi, in a hotel in Misrata, Libya Politics of LibyaThe Libyan system of government is quite unusual. Qaddafi claims that Libya is a "pure socialist state", and as such the formal institutions of government are purposely quite vague. Qaddafi himself is not even technically the "President" or "Prime Minister" of the country, and instead describes himself as a sort of "guide" or a "leader" to help the Libyan people in socialism. To most people around the world, he is simply referred to as "Colonel Qaddafi". Qaddafi assumes full dictatorial powers under a political system that gives equal weight to Islamic law, and Qaddafi's own Green Book of political philosophy. Popular participation in elections is mandatory, although no government organization outside Qaddafi and his circle of advisers exerts any real authority. The government is called a "jamahiriya", a modification of the Arabic word "jumhuriya" (republic) that translates loosely as "people's state." In practice, however, Libya is essentially a military dictatorship, with Qaddafi ruling by decree, assisted by a small clique of military and political officials. Libya has been accused of widespread human rights abuses and state sponsored terrorism. Libya has given strong political and financial aid to various radical Palestinian groups and other enemies of Israel, sponsoring terrorist activities throughout Europe and the Middle East in support of the Palestinian cause. Numerous anti-Qaddafi Libyan exiles were assassinated in Europe. Libya also engaged in sporadic military campaigns against Egypt and the Sudan. On 19 December 2003, Libya admitted having had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program and simultaneously announced its intention to end it and dismantle all existing WMDs, to be verified by unconditional inspections. Libya also agreed to limit its long range missiles to 300 km. Some of the WMD included mustard gas, which was hidden in a turkey farm. The announcement came after clandestine diplomatic negotiations with the United Kingdom and United States since March 2003. About that same time, Libya was also caught secretly passing nuclear technology, originally from North Korea, to other countries. Furthermore, Pakistan and China were mentioned as contributors to the programs. Egypt previously had obtained technology directly from Pyongyang, officials said, but the U.S. blocked a shipment of missiles in 2001. Nevertheless, as the House subcommittee on terrorism learned a year later, Egypt had received 24 No-Dong missile engines from North Korea. "We are still trying to understand the network, to see if other countries have received the [weapons-related] technology, the weapons designs," IAEA director-general Mohamed El Baradei, who did not cite Egypt, said during a visit to Libya February 23, 2004. "This is of course an important and urgent concern for us." On March 7, 2004, the White House confirmed that the last of Libya's nuclear weapons-related equipment had been sent to the United States. Economy of LibyaLibya's economy under the current Prime Minister (Ghanem) is undergoing an incredible business boom. Many socialist-era government-run industries are being privatized. UN sanctions have been mostly lifted (2004) and US sanctions are too. For example, Continental Airlines now offers code-share travel to Libya. Demographics of LibyaLibya has a small population within its large territory, with population density of about 50 persons per km² (80/sq. mi.) in the two northern regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, and less than one person per km² (1.6/sq. mi.) elsewhere. Ninety percent of the people live in less than 10% of the area, primarily along the coast. More than half the population is urban, mostly concentrated in the two largest cities, Tripoli and Benghazi. 50% of the population is estimated to be under age 15. Native Libyans are primarily a mixture of Berbers and Arabs. Small
Tuareg and Tebu tribal groups in southern Libya are nomadic or seminomadic.
Among foreign residents, the largest groups are citizens of other
African nations, including North Africans (primarily Egyptians and
Tunisians), West Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans. Abkhazia - Republic of Abkhazia (de facto independent state inside Georgia) Afghanistan - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Akrotiri - Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Åland - Åland Islands (autonomous province of Finland recognized by international treaty) Albania - Republic of Albania Algeria - People's Democratic Republic of Algeria American Samoa - Territory of American Samoa (unincorporated unorganized territory of the United States) Andorra - Principality of Andorra (co-principality with the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of Urgell, Spain as ex officio heads of state) Angola - Republic of Angola Anguilla (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Antigua and Barbuda (Commonwealth Realm) Argentina - Argentine Republic (federal state, also named Argentine Nation for purposes of legislation) Armenia - Republic of Armenia Aruba (overseas country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands) Ascension Island (dependency of Saint Helena, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Australia - Commonwealth of Australia (federal state, Commonwealth Realm) Austria - Republic of Austria (federal state) Azerbaijan - Republic of Azerbaijan (see also Nagorno-Karabakh) B Bahamas, The - Commonwealth of The Bahamas (Commonwealth Realm) Bahrain - Kingdom of Bahrain Bangladesh - People's Republic of Bangladesh Barbados (Commonwealth Realm) Belarus - Republic of Belarus Belgium - Kingdom of Belgium (federal state) Belize (Commonwealth Realm) Benin - Republic of Benin Bermuda (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Bhutan - Kingdom of Bhutan Bolivia - Republic of Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina (federal state) Botswana - Republic of Botswana Brazil - Federative Republic of Brazil (federal state) Brunei - Negara Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria - Republic of Bulgaria Burkina Faso See Myanmar for Burma Burundi - Republic of Burundi C Cambodia - Kingdom of Cambodia Cameroon - Republic of Cameroon Canada (federal state, Commonwealth Realm, officially also (but infrequently) referred to as Dominion of Canada) Cape Verde - Republic of Cape Verde Cayman Islands (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Central African Republic (sometimes also rendered as Central Africa) Chad - Republic of Chad Chile - Republic of Chile China (PRC) - People's Republic of China See Taiwan (ROC) for the Republic of China (see also One-China policy and dispute over UN representation between PRC and ROC) Christmas Island - Territory of Christmas Island (overseas territory of Australia) Cocos (Keeling) Islands - Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (overseas territory of Australia) Colombia - Republic of Colombia Comoros - Union of the Comoros (federal state) Congo (Brazzaville) - Republic of the Congo Congo (Kinshasa) - Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly and popularly known as Zaire) Cook Islands (self-governing state in free association with New Zealand) Costa Rica - Republic of Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire - Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (formerly and popularly known as Ivory Coast) Croatia - Republic of Croatia Cuba - Republic of Cuba Cyprus - Republic of Cyprus (see also Northern Cyprus) Czech Republic (sometimes also rendered as Czechia) D Denmark - Kingdom of Denmark Dhekelia - Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area (overseas territory of the United Kingdom) Djibouti - Republic of Djibouti Dominica - Commonwealth of Dominica Dominican Republic (sometimes also rendered as The Dominican) E See Timor -Leste for East Timor
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