Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Warfalli
Looking at Libya today, where militias are rife, institutions are collapsing, and the social fabric is unraveling, no serious observer can deny that the root cause of everything happening is Muammar Gaddafi’s legacy—not simply the events of 2011 or its aftermath.
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The chaos, division, and absence of the state that Libya is experiencing now—the direct result of 42 years of absurd, destructive, and autocratic rule, established by Gaddafi and protected by terror, repression, corruption, and ignorance.
1. Dismantling State Institutions and
Transforming Them into Green Tents
Since his coup in 1969, Gaddafi embarked on his own project: emptying the state of its meaning and transforming it into a shadow of his own person. He dissolved the army, abolished the constitution, closed newspapers and universities, and replaced everything with “Revolutionary Committees,” the “Green Book,” and “People’s Conferences,” which were nothing more than facades for the charade of obedience.
He left no state institutions… but rather superficial monstrosities that would collapse at the first crisis.
2. Militarizing Society… and
Weaponizing Beliefs
Gaddafi transformed #Libya into a vast military camp, where everything was subject to the balance of “who’s with me and who’s against me.”
• He armed tribes to create controlled conflicts.
• He encouraged “revolutionary revenge” and “popular oversight” to suppress society itself.
• He planted a culture of fear, until citizens feared their neighbors and brothers.
This social weapon is what exploded after 2011… and its explosion was inevitable.
3. Making Generations Ignorant and
Distorting Identity
Gaddafi was not just a dictator… he was also a systematic project to destroy consciousness. • He abolished civil curricula and imposed the “Green Book” as sacred.
• He insulted education and the university, and appointed revolutionary committees over professors.
• He created generations without the tools for political understanding, legal awareness, or sound national affiliation.
The result was generations that were either fearful, distorted, or rebellious without a compass.
4. Crimes that went unpunished and
injustices that went unaddressed
• Abu Salim: A massacre that claimed the lives of more than 1,200 prisoners, for which no one was held accountable
• Chad, Uganda, Liberia, Ireland: Military and security adventures that destroyed the economy and turned Libya into a rogue state
• The Lockerbie, Ottawa, and Berlin bombings: Libya was dragged into siege and isolation, paying a heavy political and economic price
• Impoverishing the people and buying loyalties abroad: He squandered wealth on international bribes while Libyan cities suffered
5. Gaddafi’s death did not end his
regime but rather unleashed its ghosts
Gaddafi fell, but:
• The culture of chaos he established did not collapse
• The tribal loyalties he fostered did not disappear
• No replacement institutions were built for those he destroyed
Everyone emerged from the rubble of Gaddafi’s “Jamahiriya” carrying the same tools of destruction, with no alternatives.
Conclusion:
He who creates hell leaves only ruin.
Anyone who believes that Gaddafi was not the cause of our current situation is either ignorant of history, complicit in injustice, or dreaming of ruin.
The Gaddafi regime was not brought down by NATO… but rather by the injustice, tyranny, and arrogance it built over 42 years.
Therefore, everyone who raises his slogan today, yearns for his era, or blesses his speech must ask themselves:
Do you want a homeland… or a prison larger than a homeland?
Do you want a short version suitable as a publication? Or a format that can be converted into an analytical video with audio and visual commentary?
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Libya Tribune
