Surprise Surprise: Post-"Revolution" Libyan Government Is Viewed As Worse Than Former Gaddafi Regime

The handiwork of the next president of the United States.

Whoever believes that elected politicians better serve the people than benevolent dictators should take a long look at present day Libya and Iraq. At least Gaddafi and Saddam provided their nations with the basics of life like electricity, clean water, security, and other public services. The incompetent and corrupt political crop who replaced them, who tout their legitimacy via the scam called the democratic process, can't even manage the basics.

An excerpt from, "Qaddafi Supporters Re-emerge in a Disillusioned Libya" by Mohamed Eljarh, Foreign Policy, August 11, 2015:

Many feel betrayed by the governments that have been elected since 2011. Residents of Derna and Sirte were left on their own to face the brutality of the Islamic State (IS). Derna managed to expel the IS jihadists from the city two months ago, but around the same time the Misratan militias stationed in Sirte withdrew after being attacked by IS fighters, leaving the entire city under Islamic State control.

A few weeks ago, I spoke with a prominent tribal leader from the Qaddadfa tribe (Qaddafi’s tribe) based in Sirte. He expressed his disappointment and frustration at the failure of Libyan authorities to help them counter the rise of Islamic State in his home city: “We don’t have the weapons to fight the Islamic State, and when we ask for arms, they completely ignore us.” This has left many in Sirte with no option but to accept IS rule. The general sense is that the existing authorities couldn’t care less about the situation of ordinary people. Now the verdict from the court in Tripoli could serve as a uniting factor for Qaddafi regime supporters.

The re-emergence of Qaddafi regime loyalists poses yet another obstacle to the peace process and any future Government of National Accord. Neither the peace process nor a unity government will stand a chance unless an effort is made to address the sense of injustice and neglect currently suffered by supporters of the old regime. Failure to do this merely provides an opening for groups such as the Islamic State, as the development in Sirte has so vividly demonstrated. Libya can stop the downward spiral only by moving beyond its divisive revolutionary narrative and moving toward a more inclusive approach.