TRIBE, OIL, AND THE STATE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ISLAMISM IN LIBYA IN THE ERA OF THE ARAB SPRING

Abstract

In my thesis, I investigate the causes for the relatively poor showing of Islamist groups in the 2012 post-Arab Spring Libyan election for the General National Congress, following strong Islamist showings in the post-Arab Spring elections that took place in Egypt and Tunisia. In order to determine what it is that set Libya apart from its neighbors to the East and West, I thoroughly analyze the history of Libya from the Ottoman Era to the present in comparison with the histories of Egypt and Tunisia. My findings indicate that Islamists in Libya performed relatively poorly in comparison to their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt, because they lacked the organizational advantage that their Tunisian and Egyptian counterparts had. This was due to the relative absence of Islamists in Libya under the Gaddafi regime. The reasons for this absence of Islamists in Libya is largely due to Libya’s oil wealth, which allowed Gaddafi to prevent poverty and socioeconomic stratification, under which Islamists thrive, from arising. In addition, I find that the great degree of tribalism in Libya serves as an obstacle to all nationally oriented political organizations, including Islamists, and also served to hinder their ability to complete effectively.