Kadhafi's forty-two year rule ends

Moamer Kadhafi was captured and killed by rebel fighters fifteen years ago today, ending forty-two years of one-man rule over Libya. His death followed an uprising and Western-backed military intervention.

The Green Book and the Jamahiriya

Kadhafi built an idiosyncratic state funded by oil wealth and enforced by repression. It was guided by his Green Book, a manifesto proposing a third way between capitalism and communism, officially called the Jamahiriya, or…

Kadhafi's foreign policy and ideology

Kadhafi cast himself as a champion of Arab and African liberation, backed armed groups abroad, and pursued revolutionary anti-imperialist theory. This brought years of Western and United Nations sanctions against Libya.

Libya split after his fall

His fall in twenty eleven left Libya split between rival governments in the country's east and west. Many Africans blame his removal for the instability that has since spread across the Sahel.

Saif al-Islam assassinated

In February this year, Kadhafi's son Saif al-Islam, long seen as his political heir, was assassinated. This left his supporters without a leader to rally around.

What Kadhafism actually meant

The Green Book was the central doctrinal text, but Kadhafism rested on broader ideas: sovereignty belonging directly to the masses through popular committees, a distinctive economic outlook, Islamic doctrinal elements, and revolutionary anti-imperialist foreign policy.

Why the West rejected Kadhafism

Kadhafi's third way was fundamentally at odds with parliamentary democracy.Behind the rhetoric of mass democracy, the system was highly centralised.Repression was severe and fell on every kind of opposition: political, ethnic and linguistic diversity.

Economic policies and power concentration

His economic policies generated strong opposition, with many people badly hit by the nationalisation of property, including homes. The redistribution of wealth through the central state reinforced the concentration of power in his hands.

Why Kadhafi thrived in Africa

Tensions with other Arab leaders emerged quickly.He shifted from Arab nationalism to Africa, pursuing policies of support for development and investment.

“On 18 May 1990, Kadhafi was the first head of state Nelson Mandela went to thank after leaving prison, in recognition of his generous support for the ANC during the apartheid years.”

Kadhafi's legacy fades for younger Africans

For the younger generation, who make up the majority of the continent's population, Kadhafi is a distant memory.

Resentment over his removal

There is deep resentment, even anger, towards the countries that took part in overthrowing Kadhafi.

Libya's unique Arab Spring intervention

Libya was the only country to see foreign intervention during the Arab Spring pro-democracy protests. Western powers set aside attempts at mediation, notably under South African leadership, and gave them no serious consideration.

Russia's shift on intervention

The intervention was seen as a betrayal by Russia, which abstained on Resolution nineteen seventy-three in twenty eleven.

Why Kadhafism never recovered

In twenty eleven, three things overlapped in Libya: a popular movement that became militarised, a deep division between pro and anti-Kadhafi forces, and foreign military intervention.

Saif al-Islam's failed political project

From twenty seventeen to twenty eighteen, a process of absorption and co-option began, with former figures aligning with either Khalifa Haftar or the Tripoli government.

Kadhafism was Kadhafi himself

Kadhafism was very much centred on Kadhafi as a person, on a highly personalised system of power closely tied to him.

“Kadhafism was nothing other than Kadhafi”

Movement in crisis after assassination

Following Saif al-Islam's assassination in February twenty twenty-six, his movement is in real crisis.There is no figure for supporters to rally around and no real political project.