Abstract

This article examines Libya’s troubled transition from Mu‘ammar al-Qadhafi’s authoritarian regime. The author asks what past transitions tell us about possible positive pathways from authoritarian rule and what Libya can learn from its previous failures in development in order to shed light on why Libya is struggling in its transition from regime change to economic and political development. The article concludes by identifying Libya’s uniqueness with its “shallow state,” its deep regional and tribal rivalries, and distributive economy, which together are currently incapacitating progress towards sustainable development.

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