Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, a state in North Africa. In the north it is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, in the east it borders with Egypt, in the southeast with Sudan, in the south with Chad and Niger, in the west with Algeria and in the northwest with Tunisia. Formerly an Italian colony, since 1951 an independent monarchy. As a result of a military coup in September 1969, King Idris I was overthrown, and Libya was proclaimed a republic. Until 1963, when Libya became a unitary state, the country had a federal structure and consisted of three historical regions: Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. Capital Tripoli. Although in terms of area Libya is one of largest countries Africa, its population in 1998 was only 5.7 million people. Most of the country's territory is occupied by desert. Thanks to the exploitation of rich oil resources, which began in 1961, the once impoverished Libya has turned into a prosperous state with the highest per capita income in Africa.
Social structure. For many centuries, the historical development of each of the two main regions of Libya, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, followed its own path. That is why social homogeneity is more pronounced at the regional rather than at the national level. Spread in the 19th century. In the territory of Cyrenaica, the activities of the Senusite order further alienated these two areas, since the population of Tripolitania remained faithful to normative Sunni Islam. Senusite religious-historical movement, whose founder was his grandfather former king Idris I, aimed at returning to the origins of Islam. The population of Cyrenaica consisted mainly of nomads and semi-nomads, while in Tripolitania there lived a settled peasant and urban population. A peculiar social organization is also characteristic of the population of the Fezzan desert region.
There is a small stratum of traders and a small but ever-increasing group of officials, managers and qualified specialists. In the coastal zone and in the Fezzan, land is individually privately owned. Areas with a nomadic population are characterized by collective ownership of land by tribal groups.
Public education. During the period of Italian colonial presence in Libya, there was virtually no Western education system. The beginning of its active spread dates back to the time of the British military administration, and further development occurred after the 1960s, when independent Libya began to receive significant funds from the sale of oil. Education in the country is free at all levels and compulsory until grade 9. In 1991-1992 in Libya there were 2,744 primary schools and 1,555 secondary, 195 vocational and teacher training colleges. There were also 10 universities and 10 pedagogical institutes (including corresponding branches at the universities of al-Fattah in Tripoli and Garyounis in Benghazi). There are 1.4 million children in primary school, 310.5 thousand in secondary school, vocational schools 37 thousand and in the system high school 72.9 thousand students. Development technical training driven mainly by the needs of the oil industry. There are 14 research centers in the country. The state provides financial assistance to a network of Islamic educational institutions, including the Islamic University in El Beida, which is also a center for religious studies.
In Libya it turns out approx. 20 newspapers and magazines in Arabic and English languages, the number of books published is small.
STORY The differences between the two main regions of the country, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, go back to ancient times. In the 4th century. BC. Cyrenaica was colonized by the Greeks, then conquered by the army of Alexander the Great, then under the control of the Ptolemaic dynasty and already from them in 96 BC. went to the Roman Empire. The Roman province of Cyrenaica also included the island of Crete. Tripolitania was first in the zone of influence of Phenicia, and then of Carthage. Ultimately, both areas became possessions of the Roman Empire, but during its division Cyrenaica became part of the eastern possessions, while Tripolitania remained under the direct control of Rome. In 455, Vandals attacked the territory of Libya from the west, but in 533 the troops of Emperor Justinian managed to oust them from the country. In 642644, the Arab cavalry invaded Libya, and the country became part of the Arab Caliphate, but until the 11th century. the local population was not converted to Islam. After the Arab conquest, Cyrenaica became increasingly closer to Egypt, while Tripolitania became part of the Western Arab world (Maghreb).
Between 1517 and 1577 Libya was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and was ruled by governors from Istanbul until 1711. In 1711–1835, the local Karamanly dynasty established itself in Libya, nominally remaining loyal to the Sultan. In 1835 the country came under direct control of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan personally appointed the wali, who had full power in Libya, turned into a vilayet (province).
Italy, which began conquests in Libya in 1911, encountered stubborn armed resistance from the local population. Until 1922, the Italians managed to maintain control only over some coastal areas, and only by 1932 were they able to subjugate the entire country. Until 1934, Cyrenaica and Tripolitania were considered separate colonies of Italy, although they were under the control of the same governor-general. Under Mussolini in 1939, Libya was incorporated into Italy.
During World War II, Libya became the scene of fierce military action, and in 1943 it was occupied by Allied forces. According to the peace treaty of 1947, Italy lost all rights to the territory of its former colony, the fate of which was to be decided during negotiations between France, Great Britain, the USA and the USSR. It was envisaged that if within a year the great powers could not come to an acceptable agreement, the fate of the country would be decided by the UN. In November 1949, the UN General Assembly decided to grant Libya independence until January 1, 1952.
In 1950–1951, the work of the National Constituent Assembly took place, which included an equal number of representatives from all three regions of the country. The deputies of the assembly adopted a constitution and in December 1951 confirmed the Emir of Cyrenaica, Muhammad Idris al-Senusi, as the King of Libya. On December 24, 1951, an independent federal kingdom was proclaimed, which included the provinces of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan.
Independent Libya inherited a very poor and largely illiterate population. In exchange for significant economic and technical assistance The Libyan government allowed the US and UK to maintain their military bases in the country. Since the country lacked lawyers and teachers, specialists from Egypt were invited to the civil service.
The second decade of the country's independent development path was strikingly different from the first. The flow of oil revenues into Libya allowed the government to refuse foreign aid, and it terminated the agreement to maintain American and British military bases on its territory. In 1963, the federal structure, which took into account the peculiarities of historical development and the traditions of the three parts of the country, and Libya was declared a unitary state.
On September 1, 1969, a group of young army officers led by Muammar Gaddafi overthrew the regime of King Idris I. The country was named the Libyan Arab Republic, and all power passed to the Revolutionary Command Council. Gaddafi led the country in accordance with his proclaimed principle of "Islamic socialism" and was determined to reduce Libya's dependence on foreign influence. By 1973, 51% of the shares of all foreign oil companies became state property. An important step was the nationalization of the retail network for the sale of petroleum products and gas, as well as the introduction of a state monopoly on the export of petroleum products. At Gaddafi's initiative, the country was undergoing a process of strengthening national sovereignty: foreign military bases were withdrawn from Libya, foreign property was nationalized, and control over the production and sale of oil was introduced. Many leading positions in the economy and other spheres of life were occupied by citizens of the country. In the mid-1970s, after relations with Egypt deteriorated, many Egyptians working in Libya were forced to leave.
In 1977, M. Gaddafi, who held the position Secretary General General People's Congress, became head of state. The country has intensified measures to crowd out private capital from retail and wholesale trade and eliminate private ownership of real estate. Gaddafi declared a foreign policy aimed at providing active assistance to “revolutionary movements and regimes opposing imperialism and colonialism” and provided support for international terrorism. In 1979, he resigned, declaring his intention to devote himself to developing the ideas of the Libyan revolution. Nevertheless, Gaddafi remained key figure in the political life of the country.
In the 1970s, oil prices on world markets increased significantly, which led to the accumulation of significant funds in Libya, which was a supplier of oil to Western countries. Government revenues from oil exports went to finance urban development and the creation of a modern social security system for the population. At the same time, to increase the international prestige of Libya, huge sums were spent on creating a well-armed modern army. In the Middle East and North Africa, Libya acted as a bearer of the ideas of Arab nationalism and an uncompromising opponent of Israel and the United States. The sharp fall in oil prices in the mid-1980s led to a significant weakening of Libya. Meanwhile, the US administration accused Libya of aiding international terrorism, and on April 15, 1986, the US bombed several cities in Libya.
In 1992, sanctions were applied against Libya after Libyan citizens blew up two passenger airliners. She denied all accusations and refused to extradite her citizens suspected of committing sabotage. At the end of 1993, Gaddafi proposed that the two Libyans accused of the Lockerbie bombing should be tried anywhere in the world, but the court should either be Muslim or the court should consist entirely of Muslims. The Libyan leader’s proposal was rejected, and since 1992, UN sanctions against Libya were renewed every six months, including the cessation of military-technical cooperation and air travel, the freezing of Libyan holdings, a ban on the import into Libya of certain types of equipment for the oil industry, etc. After the International The court in The Hague rendered a verdict on Chad's right to the Aouzou strip, occupied in 1973 by Libyan troops; Libya withdrew its troops from this area in 1994.
In September 1995, as a sign of dissatisfaction peace agreements, previously concluded between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, Gaddafi announced the expulsion from Libya of 30 thousand Palestinians living there.
M., 1985
Proshin N.I., Roshchin M.Yu., Smirnova G.I. Libya. ¶ In the book: Contemporary history of the Arab countries of Africa, 19171987. M., 1990
Find " LIBYA" on
industry: 49.9%
service sector: 42.5%
industry: 23%
service sector: 59%
At the end of the twentieth century. state enterprises produced about 90% of all industrial products. The share of industry in GDP is about 60%; In the late 1970s, the ports of Tripoli and Benghazi were significantly expanded. After the modernization carried out in the mid-1990s, the capabilities of the ports of Misrata, Rasami al-Anouf, Es-Sider and Al-Zuwaitina significantly expanded. Libya has its own cargo fleet (including tankers) with a total tonnage of over 70 thousand tons.
Until 1993, 1,800 kilometers of pipelines and canals were laid, roads and reservoirs were built.
The oil and gas industry firmly holds a dominant role in Libyan industry. It was thanks to the abrupt growth of these incomes that the Libyan state in the 1970-80s. generously financed extensive development plans. Their main successes boiled down to the expansion and modernization of economic and social infrastructure, oil refining complexes (the annual capacity of installations for direct distillation is up to 17.4 million tons) and gas, mainly export-oriented, the creation of centers for the production of basic, large-scale products organic chemistry (polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, urea, etc.). Other industrial sectors (production of consumer goods for the domestic market, assembly of agricultural, construction, automotive equipment) depend on the import of foreign equipment, raw materials, components and often on foreign labor. Despite sharp changes in oil and gas revenues in the 2nd half. In the 1980s and 1990s, they remained the basis of the economy and society, providing the Libyan population with the lead in average income on the African continent, and the state, the monopoly owner of the subsoil, with a key role in the implementation of the vast majority of projects. The beginning of oil production is considered to be 1970, when the National Oil Corporation was created, but geological exploration work began back in 1955. Oil exports began in 1961. Due to accusations by the Libyan leadership of supporting international terrorism, American oil companies left Libya in 1986. The oil component of export revenues reaches 95%. Oil production accounts for up to 40% of GDP. Proven oil reserves are 29.5 billion barrels (5.1 billion tons), which gives Libya 1st place in Africa and 5th among OPEC members. Oil production is 1.4 million barrels per day, which is 2% of world oil production. Of this volume, about 1.26 million barrels per day are exported, half of which goes to Italy. Oil refining capacity is 348 thousand barrels per day. The Libyan government has made efforts to expand and diversify the industrial sector structure. New industries emerged in the early 1970s, including cement and metal products. In subsequent years, a number of contracts were concluded with Western European, Yugoslav and Japanese firms for the construction of several nuclear and thermal power plants, as well as heavy industry enterprises. It was envisaged that some of these enterprises would use crude oil as a raw material. Among the largest manufacturing enterprises are the metallurgical plant in Misrata, which produced up to 1.5 million tons of steel and rolled products in 1996, factories for the production of pipes and electrical cables; assembly of cars and tractors has been established. Light and food industries are poorly developed. Traditional industries include sponge harvesting, coastal salt evaporation and various handicraft industries such as leather, copper, tin, ceramics and carpet weaving. There are also small enterprises processing agricultural products, wood, paper, tobacco, textiles and soap.
Libya's external debt as of December 31, 2009 is $6.491 billion, per capita $1025 or 11% of GDP.
Oil production
The oil component of export revenues reaches 95%. Oil production provides up to 40% of GDP. Proven oil reserves are 29.5 billion barrels (5.1 billion tons), which gives Libya 1st place in Africa and 5th among OPEC members. Oil production is 1.4 million barrels per day, which is 2% of world oil production. Of this volume, about 1.26 million barrels per day are exported, half of which goes to Italy. Oil refining capacity is 348 thousand barrels per day.
The beginning of oil production is considered to be 1970, when the National Oil Corporation was created ( National Oil Corporation), however, geological exploration work began back in 1955. Oil exports began in 1961. Due to accusations by the Libyan leadership of supporting international terrorism, American oil companies left Libya in 1986.
Maritime transport ensures oil exports and almost all foreign trade transportation. The largest oil fields are Serir, Vaha and Selten. General ports: Tripoli, Benghazi, oil - (Marsa al-Brega), Ras al-Anouf, Es Sider, Marsa al-Khariga, Al-Zuwaitina. Transportation of oil and gas through the territory of Libya is carried out by an extensive pipeline system, the total length of which is more than 5 thousand km, the throughput capacity is more than 180 million tons per year.
Gas production
Agriculture in Libya
In addition to oil production, agriculture is an important component of the economy. The rural population cultivates the land in Tripolitania's narrow coastal strip using rainfall in winter and well irrigation in summer. Around Tripoli, in the commercial horticulture area, citrus fruits, dates, olives and almonds are grown. In the southern oases, water from underground sources is used to irrigate fields. If there is sufficient rainfall, barley is cultivated on the periphery of the uplands. Arable land makes up only 1% of the country's area, and only 1% of it is under artificial irrigation. Since 1979, work has been underway on the construction of a “great artificial river” - a conduit designed to transfer water from 250 underground wells from the oases of Tazerbo and Sarir in the Sahara Desert to the coast of the country. In Cyrenaica, on the Barka el-Baida plateau, cereals, olives and fruit trees are cultivated. Libya has 8 million hectares of grazing land in Tripolitania and 4 million hectares in Cyrenaica. The El Akhdar Plateau region of Cyrenaica is home to nomadic pastoralists.
Fresh water extraction
Main article: Great River Project
In the 1950s, oil exploration in southern Libya discovered fresh water reserves in aquifers, some 75,000 years old, beneath the sands of the Sahara Desert. More than 95% of Libya is desert, and new water sources could irrigate thousands of hectares of farmland. To develop these deposits and pump this water from under the Sahara Desert in southern Libya to the northern part of Libya to the Benghazi region on the Mediterranean coast, Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi created the Great River Project in the 1980s, which included the construction of a system of pipes, wells and technical infrastructure, which will be able to provide 6.5 million cubic meters. fresh water per day. The first phase of the project began in 1984, and cost approximately $5 billion. It was implemented by South Korean specialists in modern technologies. The result was an artificial river that collected groundwater from 270 wells in east-central Libya and transported 2 million cubic meters. m. of water per day after 2 thousand km. pipeline to the cities of Benghazi and Sirte. The celebratory opening of the project was attended by dozens of Arab and African heads of state and hundreds of other foreign diplomats and delegations. Among them was Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; King Hassan of Morocco; the head of Sudan, General Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, and the President of Djibouti, Hassan Julid. Muammar Gaddafi presented this project as a gift to the third world and told the celebrants: “After this achievement, the US threats against Libya will double... The United States will do everything under a different pretext, but the real reason will stop this achievement in order to leave the people of Libya oppressed." Mubarak, in his speech at the ceremony, emphasized the regional importance of the project. Gaddafi also asked Egyptian peasants to come to work in Libya, which has a population of only 4 million inhabitants. Egypt has a population of 55 million people, which is overcrowded in narrow areas along the Nile River and delta region.
Notes
Literature
- Human Development Report 2007/2008. Fighting climate change: human solidarity in a divided world / Trans. from English = Human Development Report 2007/2008. Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. - M.: Ves Mir, 2007. - 400 p. - ISBN 978-5-7777-390-3
- Libya. Online encyclopedia "Around the World". Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
Links
- European companies hope for big deals in Libya
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| Geography | Administrative division Cities Capital National parks | |
| Policy | Chairman of the VNK Prime Minister of the VNK Constitution Parliament Foreign policy Domestic policy | |
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| Religion | Islam Christianity Judaism | |
In 2003, economic sanctions were eased after Gaddafi promised to end his weapons of mass destruction program.
In October 2004, operation of the 520-km submarine began. the Greenstream gas pipeline between Libya and Italy (Sicily), through which 8 billion m³ of natural gas is exported from the country annually.
Confirmed gas reserves in Libya are about 1.1-1.3 trillion cubic meters. m. According to experts, the use of new geological exploration methods will increase proven gas reserves to more than 2 trillion cubic meters. m. Oil reserves, according to available data, amount to over 36 billion barrels.
US President George W. Bush allowed American companies to operate in Libya back in April 2004. In September 2004, he lifted all sanctions against this country, but did not remove Libya from the list of countries that finance terrorism, and therefore there are strict restrictions on the import of any products here.
Germany, Italy and a number of other European countries already entered into preliminary agreements with Libya in the oil field in 2004.
In the 1950s, oil exploration in southern Libya discovered fresh water reserves in aquifers, some 75,000 years old, beneath the sands of the Sahara Desert. More than 95% of Libya is desert, and new water sources could irrigate thousands of hectares of farmland. To develop these deposits and pump this water from under the Sahara Desert in southern Libya to the northern part of Libya to the Benghazi region on the Mediterranean coast, Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi created the Great River Project in the 1980s, which included the construction of a system of pipes, wells and technical infrastructure, which will be able to provide 6.5 million cubic meters. fresh water per day. The first phase of the project began in 1984, and cost approximately $5 billion. It was implemented by South Korean specialists using modern technologies. As a result, an artificial river was built to collect underground water from 270 wells in east-central Libya, and transported 2 million cubic meters. m. of water per day after 2 thousand km. pipeline to the cities of Benghazi and Sirte. The celebratory opening of the project was attended by dozens of Arab and African heads of state and hundreds of other foreign diplomats and delegations. Among them was Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak; King Hassan of Morocco; the head of Sudan, General Omar El Bessir, and the President of Djibouti, Hassan Julid. Muammar Gaddafi presented the project as a gift to the third world and told the celebrants: “After this achievement, the US threats against Libya will double…. The United States will do everything under a different pretext, but the real reason will be to stop this achievement in order to leave the people of Libya oppressed.” Mubarak emphasized the regional importance of the project in his speech at the ceremony. Gaddafi also appealed to Egyptian peasants to come and work in Libya, which has only 4 million inhabitants. Egypt's population of 55 million is crammed into narrow stretches along the Nile River and delta region.
Agriculture
IN agriculture employs 17% of workers, it provides 4.2% of GDP (in 2009).
Irrigated agriculture is developed in the northern part of Libya. Almost all year round, potatoes, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and lemons are supplied directly from the field. There are several harvests per year. Grain crops are grown. Livestock farming is represented by raising sheep and camels. Poultry farming is developed. Water comes from underground lakes in the Sahara Desert by gravity (water sources are located half a kilometer above sea level). Tuna, sardines, and squid are caught in the Mediterranean Sea. Libya's own production does not meet the country's food needs; most food products are imported. Italian spaghetti, Polish milk and Ukrainian sausages that do not contain pork are always on sale.
Since a lot of materials are being distributed online describing the heavenly standard of living in Libya under Gaddafi (without links to any known sources), as well as all kinds of misinformation about civil war in this country, we found it possible to post some information about Gaddafi’s Libya, about economic indicators, about the political structure of Gaddafi’s Libya, etc., and at the same time answer fairly ordinary questions.
All information is taken from public sources. We have structured this presentation in the form of questions and answers.
c) GDP per capita.
In Libya 14,884. (dollars)
In Russia, for comparison, 15,807
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_eco nomy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_ec onomy
d) For Libya, there is no such important indicator as the Gini coefficient, an indicator of economic inequality. Considering that Libya liberalized its economy in the late 90s and began large-scale privatizations in the early 2000s (more on that below), under Gaddafi it could not have been an oasis of equality by 2011.
e) Let's, just for comparison, give data on another Arab country - Bahrain, where a revolution is also taking place.
GDP per capita is 40,300 (dollars), i.e. almost 3 times more than in Libya
Unemployment in Bahrain is 15% according to the Russian Wiki (unfortunately, the time period is not specified) and 4% for 2008 according to the English one.
It can be assumed that unemployment has increased in recent years as a result of the global crisis. But even in this case, it does not exceed the Libyan indicators, and, perhaps, is inferior to them.
There are no data on the minimum wage.
So, here are the main economic indicators of Gaddafi Libya. We see a country with a GDP per capita like Russia, with huge unemployment and an extremely low minimum wage.
2. Is it true that Gaddafi tried to implement the ideas of anarchist self-government and socialism in Libya?
This is not true.
Muammar Gaddafi really set out in his so-called The Green Book contains ideas close to anarchism. But presenting ideas is one thing, but putting them into practice is quite another. We will return to the Green Book later. For now, let's turn our attention to something else.
There is evidence that Gaddafi introduced self-government, which resolved some issues of local life. But the main issues of financial, industrial, and military management in the country were decided by the bureaucracy and the dictator personally. It was not the people's assemblies that controlled the Libyan banks, industry, army, security service and foreign policy. But all this together is real power. All this was done not by popular assemblies, but by government officials and the bureaucratic apparatus. And from a certain point, from the beginning of economic liberalization, foreign companies increasingly took part in its management.
Anarchism (anti-authoritarian socialism) is a system in which all questions public life are decided by self-governing production and territorial collectives of workers, by mutual agreement. We have not seen a single source that would report how local (territorial and industrial) meetings of Libyan workers discuss and resolve issues of distribution of the country's budget, management of industry, army, and foreign policy. Let those who claim that Libya was a country with an anti-authoritarian socialist system give us at least one piece of evidence that meetings of the residents of Misrata, Benghazi, Tobruk, Zawiya, Tripoli or any other Libyan city discussed and decided all these issues. Not a single report about Libya, not a single analytical article about it, not a single interview with its residents contains such information.
On the contrary, analytical articles about Libya written before the uprising point to the fact that in Libya under Gaddafi there was a command-administrative system of economic management that was reminiscent of the USSR and a bureaucratic dictatorship. In addition, since the late 90s of the last century, economic liberalization began in Libya:
http://www.gecont.ru/articles/econ/livi a.htm
Anti-authoritarian socialism (anarchism) is a system in which not only the state is absent, but also wage labor. The workers themselves manage the enterprises.
But, as follows from information coming from Libya, the vast majority of Libyan workers are ordinary employees who work either for the state apparatus or for private foreign companies. In both cases, they are exploited, that is, their work and its results are controlled by officials and/or businessmen. If we are wrong, let them give us at least one piece of evidence that in Libya under Gaddafi, there was no hired labor, that workers there managed production themselves. As far as we know, evidence of this kind does not exist.
Here is what modern researcher E. Kasaev, a specialist in energy investments in the Middle East, reports about the political structure of Gaddafi Libya (his work was published before the uprising in Libya): “The modern political system of Libya was formed after M. Gaddafi came to power in 1969 as a result of an anti-monarchist coup. Currently, the country's leadership is divided between the “revolutionary” and “technocratic” branches of government, although de facto the entire legislative, executive and judicial power is concentrated in the hands of M. Gaddafi and a small group of people close to him from among the members Revolutionary Council. The revolutionary department includes the leader of the revolution M. Gaddafi and 12 permanent members of the Revolutionary Council (almost all are direct participants in the coup of 1969). They determine the course of the “social-mass” (technocratic) branch of government, which is a multi-level system the so-called people's committees, which, performing the functions of the executive branch, de-jure guide the state on issues of national security, foreign policy, budget adoption and the development of the oil industry."
http://www.iimes.ru/rus/stat/2010/26-05-10b.htm
The same author notes that “...since the beginning of the 1970s, the Libyan economy developed under a command-administrative system, which involved subsidizing ineffective enterprises and strict control foreign trade and prices, the absence of a private sector... The main emphasis in the structure of the Libyan economy is on oil production and export. Libya has been producing oil since 1959 and exporting it since 1961. All this time, investment flows were controlled by the state and were directed mostly to the oil and gas industry... In 2003, Libya announced the cessation of the creation of weapons of mass destruction. As a result, the UN lifted sanctions against Libya. In April 2004, almost all unilateral US sanctions against the country were lifted, which served as a major incentive for the influx of foreign investment. It should be noted that during recent years The authorities are carrying out active economic reforms that covered both the financial and real sectors... Since 2002, the privatization of state-owned enterprises, liberalization of prices and foreign trade began. Some sectors of the economy were also opened to foreign investors."
http://www.iimes.ru/rus/stat/2009/1 2-07-09b.htm
As we can see, Libya under Gaddafi was an ordinary authoritarian dictatorship, in which lower authorities were subordinate to higher ones, and they were controlled by the group that carried out a coup over 40 years ago! At the same time, since 2002, a course was set for privatization and sale of the country to foreign businesses.
Actually, for these reasons, Libyan anarchists are supporters of the revolution against Gaddafi. If Libya had an anarcho-communist system, they would not be in favor of rebelling against it. The position of Libyan anarchists can be found here:
http://wwp666.livejournal.com/34782.htm l
There was no workers' self-government - the basis of anarchism - in Libya under Gaddafi. It is no coincidence that workers in Libya's main industry, oil, participated in the uprising against Gaddafi, and today they are fighting against the managers of oil companies appointed by Gaddafi:
If there had been workers' self-government in Libya under Gaddafi, then none of this would have happened, just as there would not have been any management controlling the workers at all. On the contrary, the workers' assemblies themselves would manage production.
Let's return to the Green Book. It is worth remembering that, for example, the USSR constitution stated that property belongs to the people and that the country is governed by councils. Whereas in reality, the councils, as bodies of workers' self-government, were destroyed by the Bolsheviks back in 1918, and only a screen remained of them (See, for example, the study Bolsheviks in Power. A. Rabinovich. Military Communism. Power and the Masses. S. Pavlyuchenkov) . In reality, the country was ruled by the party-state bureaucracy. Its apparatus controlled the means of production and the goods produced. Such hypocrisy, covering up the essence of dictatorship and exploitation of workers with words about councils, self-government, people's power, national property, etc. characteristic not only of the USSR, but also of USSR-like regimes.
One can, of course, assume that when Gaddafi wrote the Green Book, he really could have dreamed of something like anarchist socialism. But whether this is true or not, we don’t know and are unlikely to find out. Yes, this is not significant.
3. Maybe all these data and analytical articles, including those written before the war in Libya, provide false information?
Okay, let's give the floor to Muammar Gaddafi himself. Here's what he says about relations with the West: "We've had excellent relations. There may be a security problem in the Mediterranean area in terms of controlling immigration. Millions of black Africans could cross the Mediterranean to Italy and France, and Libya is playing important role in stopping the flow of immigrants across the Mediterranean. We also have large oil companies, French, Spanish, suddenly they forgot about their real interests."
http://www.kaddafi.ru/2011.html
Does anyone really think that socialism is possible, in which the country is sold to transnational businesses and at the same time an agreement is reached with the leading capitalist countries to prevent the illegal emigration of the poorest migrant workers from Africa?
4. If Gaddafi was friends with the West, why did NATO support his opponents?? Is it really an accident that the Americans, British and French opposed Gaddafi?
It is unlikely that this turn of NATO policy is an accident. But what's surprising about it? France, England and the USA up to a certain point maintained good relations with Hitler, but then opposed him. The Egyptian president, Mubarak, was an ally of the United States, but during the revolution in Egypt, the American leadership said that he had to go. Probably, the PNS of Libya turned out to be more accommodating than Colonel Gaddafi in certain matters. Or maybe it’s simply that NATO has relied on supporting revolutions in most Arab countries, deciding that this process cannot be stopped or prevented.
5. There was no uprising in Libya; the masses as a whole were on the side of Gaddafi.
And that's not true. Anyone can view videos and reports from the rebel cities of Libya.
a) Mass demonstrations of opponents of the Gaddafi dictatorship:
b). Self-organization during the uprising
As for the capital of Libya, Tripoli, judging by the footage of mass demonstrations, both the Gaddafis and their opponents enjoyed some popularity there.
In conditions of general economic prosperity and complete freedom of expression, the masses do not rise in such numbers as to overthrow the regime (see videos). In addition, it is impossible to imagine a situation in which mass protests and revolutions occur in many Arab countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain), while in Libya something completely different occurs. The uprising in Libya cannot be anything other than a continuation Arab spring- a regional revolution directed against authoritarian dictatorships and mass poverty/unemployment, aggravated as a result of the global economic crisis and privatization policies.
Of course, the standard of living in Libya is higher than in Egypt (this country, as already mentioned, has large oil reserves with a population 12 times smaller than in Egypt). But also in Bahrain, the standard of living is significantly higher than in Egypt, and it is also higher there than in Libya. But no one denies the fact that a revolution is taking place in Bahrain?
There is no reason to think of Libya any differently than any other Arab country torn by revolution.
