Positive Changes for Libya Made as a Result of the Arab Spring - Essay Example

The changes made as a result of the uprising known as the ‘Arab Spring’ have been mostly positive for Libya The Arab Spring is generally known as the unexpected outburst of mass contentment on dictatorship in the Middle Eastern Asia and Africa. The Western nations consider this revolution as the outcome of general urge to dethrone dictators and to restore peace and to spread the message of democratic thought. Besides, the Arab Spring cannot be considered as an unusual mass movement because the protestors were well planned and they exploited the scope of social media in the movement. The general opinion on this movement/revolution is that the same helped the Middle East Asian and African nations to inculcate democracy to the core of their mainstream societies. On the other side, some people consider that the Arab Spring transformed the Middle East Asian and African nations from political stability to instability and anarchy. Thesis statement: The statement ‘The changes made as a result of the uprising known as the ‘Arab Spring’ have been mostly positive for Libya’ is valid because the same helped the people of Libya to keep themselves away from dictatorship, anarchy, and political instability. Agreement: The arguments in favor of the positive influence of Arab Spring in Libyan context are based upon the fact that the same helped the people of Libya to be free from the clutches of dictatorship initiated by Col. Al Gaddafi. To be specific, the mass protest originated in the Arab area (say, the Middle East Asian and African nations) in the year 2011 later transformed into civil wars in different nations. Besides, the initial victory gained by the Tunisian protestors in their motherland inspired other nations under dictatorship. But Gaddafi never expected that he will be the victim of the revolutionary spirit of his own people. Nicholas Hagger stated that, “Gaddafi had attempted to bring in socialist measures to benefit the poor, but, obsessed with statelessness and “direct democracy” (Revolutionary committees and popular congresses), he had allowed an anarchistic and chaotic political structure (or rather, lack of structure) to impede his efforts” (137). http://books.google.co.in/books?id=yvhnXPK78MwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Libyan+Revolution:+Its+Origins+and+Legacy:+a+Memoir+and+Assessment&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1W5pVMPOBNW1uQTs7oHIDA&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Libyan%20Revolution%3A%20Its%20Origins%20and%20Legacy%3A%20a%20Memoir%20and%20Assessment&f=false To be specific, the people of Libya were not ready to be under a cruel dictator like Gaddafi. Gaddafi tired his level best to suppress the protest in his nation, but for vain. So, one can see that the Arab Spring in Libyan context resulted in the end of dictatorship. One can see that the people of Libya were aware of the benefits of democracy. To be specific, the educated elite class people in Libya considered that mass protest and revolution can dethrone their dictator. Besides, they considered Gaddafi as an imminent threat to the spread of democracy in the Arab area. On the other side, Gaddafi knew that he cannot maintain his political supremacy in a democratic nation. From a different angle of view, the Libyan revolution can be considered as an offshoot of Arab Spring because it accepted the basic ideas of revolution from the Arab Spring. On the other side, Gaddafi did not allow any sort of political freedom within his nation. Instead, he used to depend upon the militia to suppress those who protested against injustice and totalitarianism in Libyan context. Jerald A. Combs stated that, “The United States and the international community normalized relations with Gaddafi, but his domestic brutality continued and in early 2011 he found himself the target of Libya’s own Arab Spring” (480). http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Bwtaju84jroC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+History+of+American+Foreign+Policy+From+1895&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UW5pVKXOINGSuQT20oKoCg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20History%20of%20American%20Foreign%20Policy%20From%201895&f=false But the Arab Spring and the initial success gained by the people in other Arab nations inspired the Libyan revolutionaries and protestors. Besides, this ended up in the anti-government and the effort to restore a stable government in Libya. So, one can see that Arab Spring inspired the Libyans to act against the injustice and to elect a stable government. Disagreement: On the other side, the arguments against the positive influence of Arab Spring in Libyan context are based upon the opinion/assumption that the same resulted in anarchy and political instability. Astrid B. Boening stated that, “By Autumn 2013, stability was not a constant phenomenon in Libya, and included protests and strikes by the same fighters, which overthrew Col. Al Gaddafi, at several large oil export terminals and oil fields, throttling Libyan oil production to 10% of its capacity” (45). http://books.google.co.in/books?id=1bVeBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA120&dq=The+Arab+Spring+BY+Astrid+B.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2W1pVO21GoacugSl0ILYBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20Arab%20Spring%20BY%20Astrid%20B.&f=false To be specific, the argument that Arab Spring resulted in anarchy in Libyan context is partially valid because the initial stages of the revolution prove so. During the initial stages of the revolution, there was no proper leadership to co-ordinate different groups of protestors. For instance, the violation of the ceasefire agreement between the rebels and the government forces proves that lack of proper leadership among the rebels. Still, Gaddafi tried to exploit this situation by suppressing the rebellion. Gradually, the protests conducted by the rebels began to transform into direct combat. The Gaddafi regime tried to project the rebellion as an internal insurgency, disregarding the positive aspects of the same. Similarly, the Libyan media portrayed the rebels as a group of anarchists trying to overthrow the Gaddafi regime. So, the world nations suspected the Libyan rebels as anarchists trying to overthrow the government. Those who are against of the positive influence of Arab Spring in Libyan context argue that the same resulted in political anarchy. Mohamed A. Ramady stated that, “Political instability comes at a high economic price, as according to a study released in October 2011, it was estimated that the ‘Arab Spring” uprisings had cost around $20.56 billion in GDP losses for the countries most affected-Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain (Middlebrook et al. 2011), and the cost of public finance was put at around $35.3 billion (Middlebrook et al. 2011)” (227-228). http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ftiGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA56&dq=Political,+Economic+and+Financial+Country+Risk:+Analysis+of+the+Gulf+Cooperation+Council.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GG9pVM-_Msm3uASrtIHQBg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Political%2C%20Economic%20and%20Financial%20Country%20Risk%3A%20Analysis%20of%20the%20Gulf%20Cooperation%20Council.&f=false For instance, the rebels did not allow Gaddafi to have proper legal trial because he was brutally killed. Besides, Gaddafi loyalists tried to continue their effort to regain political supremacy, and the same resulted in further clashes. After the rebellion, the different areas of Libya became under the direct control of different groups. This resulted in further problems between the people and the rebels. Besides, some rebel groups hesitated to disarm, and to assimilate themselves into the new army. Still, this was not a serious issue, but it resulted in political instability in Libyan context. But the overall progress of the Libyan government after the rebellion was satisfactory to the people because the same was entirely different from the Gaddafi governance. My position: In my opinion, the Libyan revolution is a visible example for the origin of democratic ideology within Libyan context. One can see that this resulted in a momentary political instability, but international attention and the initiatives undertaken by the United Nations helped the people to overcome the initial problems. Besides, the growth of democratic ideas is important for the people of Libya because the same can help them to be free from further dictatorship in future. Great Britain: Foreign and Commonwealth Office made clear that, “Libya has continued to make progress towards democracy, with the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Dr Ali Zeidan, elected by the General National Congress (GNC) on 14 October, and the swearing in of a new government on 14 November” (194). http://books.google.co.in/books?id=japuaKWXIokC&pg=PA111&dq=Human+Rights+and+Democracy:+The+2012+Foreign+%26+Commonwealth+Office+Report&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kG5pVKeTDoeWuATzkoHADw&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Human%20Rights%20and%20Democracy%3A%20The%202012%20Foreign%20%26%20Commonwealth%20Office%20Report&f=false For instance, Gaddafi knew that his regime cannot withstand the people’s positive attitude towards democracy and individual freedom. So, he tried his level best to suppress the revolutionary spirit of the protestors. Besides, he did not expect the protest to transform into a mass movement against his totalitarian rule. So, I consider that the Arab Spring stimulated the people of Libya by giving hope for future progress. To be specific, Gaddafi regime crushed the dignity of the civil society. But the Libyans knew that mass protest, added with rebellion, can help them to overthrow the dictator. So, I consider that the Arab Spring within Libyan context is the visible example for the growth of democracy and the Libyan expectation on future progress. Summing, the Libyan revolution resulted in large-scale violence and bloodshed in Libyan context. Still, this rebellion was with a noble aim, the ultimate aim to washout totalitarianism and to restore democracy. Besides, the Arab Spring helped the people of Libya to enjoy freedom from dictatorship, and this is most important. In short, the current progress in Libyan context proves that the Arab Spring resulted in positive changes in Libya to an extent. Works Cited Boening, Astrid B. The Arab Spring. New York: Springer, 2014 .Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=1bVeBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA120&dq=The+Arab+Spring+BY+Astrid+B.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2W1pVO21GoacugSl0ILYBw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20Arab%20Spring%20BY%20Astrid%20B.&f=false Combs, Jerald A. The History of American Foreign Policy From 1895. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2012. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Bwtaju84jroC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+History+of+American+Foreign+Policy+From+1895&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UW5pVKXOINGSuQT20oKoCg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20History%20of%20American%20Foreign%20Policy%20From%201895&f=false Great Britain: Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Human Rights and Democracy: The 2012 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report. London: The Stationery Office, 2013. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=japuaKWXIokC&pg=PA111&dq=Human+Rights+and+Democracy:+The+2012+Foreign+%26+Commonwealth+Office+Report&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kG5pVKeTDoeWuATzkoHADw&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Human%20Rights%20and%20Democracy%3A%20The%202012%20Foreign%20%26%20Commonwealth%20Office%20Report&f=false Hagger, Nicholas. The Libyan Revolution: Its Origins and Legacy: a Memoir and Assessment. Hants: John Hunt Publishing, 2009. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=yvhnXPK78MwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Libyan+Revolution:+Its+Origins+and+Legacy:+a+Memoir+and+Assessment&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1W5pVMPOBNW1uQTs7oHIDA&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Libyan%20Revolution%3A%20Its%20Origins%20and%20Legacy%3A%20a%20Memoir%20and%20Assessment&f=false Ramady, Mohamed A. Political, Economic and Financial Country Risk: Analysis of the Gulf Cooperation Council. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2013. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ftiGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA56&dq=Political,+Economic+and+Financial+Country+Risk:+Analysis+of+the+Gulf+Cooperation+Council.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GG9pVM-_Msm3uASrtIHQBg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Political%2C%20Economic%20and%20Financial%20Country%20Risk%3A%20Analysis%20of%20the%20Gulf%20Cooperation%20Council.&f=false Read More