Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
T,R, 9:50am class
28 comments:
Sean McDougall
said...
From what i know about the events going on in libya I believe this civil war, or "revolution" to be no more than the beginning of the end of Libya as we know it. When gaddafi came into power and implemented his change in the government and the way the country was run it was all supposed to be for change and for the better like all new people coming into office say (Obama for example was preaching change, what has he changed besides making healthcare worse and it was only passed to improve his ratings amongst the people for reelection) when the reality is that once gaddafi came into power, according the the economist "The eastern parts of the country have been 'ruined' due to Gaddafi's economic theories". with most revolution there fear and thought in almost all is this, will things really get better, or will all of the negative just intensify, are we making a mistake by supporting this or is it right? with all revolution there is much doubt flooding the peoples minds and a raised concern that putts people even further in edge. so honestly in my opinion NO there is no hope for this revolution, i feel the only way to make things right is to take all people that had anything to do with the past governments out of any sort of position of power and revamp everything, reeducate everyone and show them their history which isn't present there in this time because history does repeat it self, so in turn it will prepare them for their future!
The revolution of Libya in this scenario is claimed to be a “unique event” in the conclusion of our given article. We are also summoned to define and understand what a revolution truly is. The nature of the idea of a revolution first must take into account the specific scenario of each revolutionary experience, and thus the adjective of “unique” to describe revolution by default becomes an intrinsic property of the definition. That being said, we are directed to three different disciplines of thought in order to understand the revolution: sociological, political, and psychological. I would like to argue that we can simplify all three to a basic concept. The concept, which was also mentioned in the article, is the concept of equilibrium. We may attempt to utilize as many facets of the past present and possible future, but the likelihood that our inventory of events would be entirely complete is logically impossible. Furthermore, since every cause has an effect, the law of causality, the summation of the effects due to the summation of causation that will ultimately produce the outcome of the revolution of Libya is logically impossible to predict. This is due to our inability to inventory and calculate the summation of the causation of the events, regardless of the length of political, sociological, or psychological history. In summation, the outcome of the revolution of Libya will react naturally to offset of the equilibrium of the causation. Hope is relative to the perception of the subjective, and by the limitation of subjective experience, hope is irrelevant.
“Oppressed people can not remain oppressed forever” (Martin Luther King Jr), and the Libyan people saw “light” through Egyptian eyes. If we look at the history of Libya we can see that these people have struggled constantly. First, to free themselves from outside rulers, later from a greedy King Idris, and last but not least, a tyrant by the name of Muammar al-Gaddafi. I see Libya as a relatively new nation with a lot of history indicating great effort to conquer freedom, to develop a democratic system that works, and to bring much-desired “equilibrium” from a sociological, psychological and political stand point. Is there hope that this is going to work? I think so. Because it is our human nature to be constantly evolving, reaching further, better, faster, in a constant search of improvement. Is it going to be flawless? No, but I am sure it’s going to be better than before. Why? Because, on top of everything else, they are lucky enough, (not like other nations) to hold 60% of the oil reserve of the world. The “world” needs this revolution to work, and Libya to become stable and organized. Carina Llobet
The Libyan Revolution, although hard to understand and complex, is completely necessary. Gaddafi who had been the autocratic ruler in Libya since he overthrew “King Idris” in 1969 oppressed the Libyan people in many ways. Gaddafi completely corrupted the government by using all of the money Libya generated from Petroleum to support his lavish lifestyle and distribute a gravy train to his supporters leaving the rest of the Libyan people in poverty and many unemployed. This along with no decent medical care, no up keeping of government run necessities such as sewage plants and dumps, no creating of jobs, and no housing development in almost 40 years is enough for a revolution. But, Gaddafi also violated human rights by executing people against him publicly, banning Libyan people from speaking to foreigners about politics, and banning the education of foreign languages in school. He ruled by his extremist “Green Book”. Fortunately this widely covered even has sympathy from many people around the world and the Libyan spirit has remained through the mass murders and cleanses of Gaddafi. There are people around the world willing to help the Libyans including the UN, Amnesty International, and citizens from other countries.
If the Libyans stay engaged in their government’s political affairs, the possibility of creating a stable democratic society will be great. From what I’ve heard and read about their revolt, they showed countries that they are ready to live in a democracy. Instead of going on a looting rampage, they demonstrated a purpose in their protest. Also, they didn’t bother destroying public property. Protesters in Libya managed to keep their revolt civil. What I fear most with the Libyans is a strong dependency for their government. I don’t want them to develop a habit to nominate or elect political officials and allow this politician to speak to the point that the citizens lose their voice. When America was developing a strong democratic nation, the people as American citizens use their voice and spoke with conviction. As centuries past, that voice started to diminish. Right now, American citizen’s political involvement is at it’s low percentage. America had become to reliant on representatives speaking for them. Libya have a chance to create a democracy in their country as long as the voice they fought to receive remain in tact for centuries to come.
In my opinion, a revolution just like any event that calls forth change has two sides. One is the always positive side of the event where a non-conformist (often oppressed) group of people, who belong to a common religion, political ideology, or ethical background, initiate a massive movement against their current type of government in the hopes of a better future society and usually achieves it. However there is another side to that coin, there is the negative side where an unhappy group of citizens who doesn’t feel fully represented by their current government, start a massive revolt (which is usually supported by foreign nations or third parties who see a benefit in a change in the political system of a certain place) and this leads to the abolishment of a well established social structure, and more often than not, ends up instituting a worst an certainly more oppressive regime than the last one.
The case of Libya as of now has not yet been showing signs leading to any type of specific future organization. If is truth that the previous political system was a totalitarian regime or may even be called a monarchy (ruled by the Qaddafi clan) and that the bloody rebellion taking place there, looks like it will finally lead to the overthrowing of such system, the most important question still remains, is this the positive side of the coin or the negative side?
It may be true that it is an oppressed people those who are taking action, and also it is true that the system they are trying to suppress is an oppressive dictatorship, However, the people of Libya has not yet pronounce any type of interpretation about where the new system they want to impose may be going, it has been more the speculations of the western countries who were involved in the attack to Qaddafi’s system who see a great benefit from the change of system than the ones from the actual Libyan citizens. It is because the lack of a common goal and the lack of any previous system to de-centralize the government’s power, that lead me to believe that perhaps this revolution may be heading to the second face of the coin, more in the benefit of third parties than the people themselves and with the risk of ending with a worst system. Furthermore I think that if the Libyan rebels and the loyal forces, actually decide on a consolidated future organization for their country, taking in account the opinion of the conservators and the new idealists, a bright future may be waiting at the end of this confrontation.
Everybody should know that a powerful person such as the Rulers will always have people for and against; in these cases, power is dangerous when it is not directed in favor of the society. The most of the cases, rulers` greed leads them to use the power in their own benefit, and here is when the society complains; if the country`s economy grows and its members` economy is the same or worst so they start protesting against the government in different ways. In Libya case, I can notice something wrong in the political system just knowing that its ruler Gadafi has been in the power for 40 years; changes should exist in order to prevent the dictatorship (the power accumulation in one person), because a person who knows that he/she has a big control in a society feels the confidence to make whatever he/she wants with this. In my opinion, this revolution had to have started long years ago, however; there is a saying “the valiant lives until the coward wants” and the Lebanese got tired of the tyranny; it is truth that the revolution affects to other countries because Libya is an important supplier of oil, but the Lebanese have the right of fight for its liberty and for a better quality of life. GEOVANA VAZQUEZ
Libya knows what they are fighting for, and they are doing it with style and grace. Unlike many other revolutionists, Libyans are maintaining a healthy protest. There has been no looting and no damage to public property nor to any other human beings. Protesting in such a healthy manner goes to show that Libyans understand the worth of what they believe in and in their fight. Patience is key, Looting and violence would only demise their goals. With that shows great hope for the success of this revolution. It is time for Libyans to have change. One ruler for four decades is just way to long. How can a country grow with the views and beliefs of just one man? Personally I am surprised it took Libyans so long to fight back. It must have taken a lot of neglect and abuse on Gadafi’s part to force his people into such a deep corner where they felt that they had no other option but to fight fire with fire.
The libyan revolution is a good example that shows that you don’t have to be a strong political country to fight for your rights. major well known politicians across africa were surprise of how a city by the name of tripoli, would cause a rebellion against a tyrant by the name of Gaddafi and his armed forces. Gaddafi an his corrupted politician ways would serve an experience for libya an its neighboring african countries. this revolution could have good consequences, full diplomatic relations could be restore with countries all over the world who had not been in talks with libya before the events, for example the U.S. I would love to say that this rebellion could serve as an example for other countries who are also being ruled by tyrant politicians, who does not let the peoples voice be heard but this could be extremely hard in the sense that Gaddafi didn’t have full control over libya military, other countries leader do have control over their military making a rebellion not impossible but suicidal. i am in favor that this rebellion could make a difference for the better than the worst, regardless of what history shows us.
This revolution is different from past revolutions in the past because the people are not resorting to violence to get their way but they are taking actions to get the progress they want threw peaceful protests. I think Libya was in a great need for this revolution. It is not right for a leader to suppress the people of his country for his own beliefs and lavish lifestyle. I think that if the Libyans have taken control of this situation very well. I believe that if they keep moving forward and push for what they really believe is right that this revolution will not be like the other revolutions in the past and will have a good outcome.
Libya’s revolution was a necessary event that was brought on by Gaddafi’s abuse of power and lack of care for his own people. Many countries around the world can learn from the forces in Libya as there has been a lack of violence and chaos that is normally abundant in revolutions of this size. This leads me to believe that there is hope for the Libyan people; the citizens have taken matters into their own hands and have been at the forefront of this revolt. Without having to rely on outside resources or a foreign government the NTC is forced to be held accountable for their actions and to plan the next steps carefully. Granted, there is a good chance that this revolution could end badly. It now becomes a waiting game to see how things will turn out.
This Libyan revolution is happening from the people not being able to take being pushed around anymore. Violence isn’t always needed but the Libyans were pushed to the edge and they felt they needed to fight for their freedom. It wasn’t fair how they were being treated they need rights of their own. So they started this revolution so they can have change in Libya where they grew up and loved it. Libya is their home and they want to do anything to feel safe and comfortable. They’ve tried the nice way but it has lead to this. Hopefully with this revolution they can bring peace and everyone can get along. It all could have been avoided even other cities are trying to help calm down the situation but it has been taken too far. The people of Libya will stop at nothing to get peace at their home for their family and kids.
This topic makes me insanely upset because what first comes to mind is the unfair and advantage someone so powerful can take towards others. No good ever come out a politician at times because everyone is so corrupted and they usually take the role of following each other’s footsteps. When it comes to governing or ruling a source, it must be a rotation of leaders rather than an individual in charge for countless of years. No matter what, you will always find an issue that was left from the previous leader, which you now have to take care of. So, imagine governing a country for years where you face endless of issues and at some point you will end up giving up at what you believe in. It is well known that a revolution is the destruction of one government which is then replace with another. Revolution has been taking place since the period of B.C. As of now, the recent issue with Libya comes from nothing more than a lack of organizing. An individual with so many years in power will of course take advantage of it and its people. He will find no use into helping others because he will have the idea that he have done enough already. This revolution must come to an end because they carry one of the most valuable sources and with their disorganizing structure, a load of negativity will lead them into more issues.
A revolution is a weapon that can be use for good or evil, history has shown many times how many lives are lost in revolutions, most revolutions turn violent because the current people in power don’t want to give it up and it ends up being a war; however revolutions had brought great things such as independence and the abolition of slavery and racism in many places. It takes a great opposition in number of people and anger to reach where Libyan revolution has reach, people could not be happy with Gadafys regimen witch its often said to support terrorism, corruption and many well known violent acts. It takes a lot of courage to do what those rebels did, after suffering so long they are finally extinguishing that violent regimen. History has shown us that in order to get rid of evil powers one generation must suffer for the wellbeing of the next one however any person knows if what will follow could be better or worst.
It is amazing what the people of Libya are doing revolving from a government that is using there power for no good. Revolting peacefully, and setting an example that they are not savages, but humans. These people have even been threaten, knowing that Gaddafi would not hold back. Gaddafi would executed dissidents publicly and the executions were often rebroadcast on state television channels.
It is going to be hard for this country kick there old tradition out the door. It is going to be hard for the people of Libya to overcome a way of life they have experience for most of the Life's. It is like a culture shock. The actual change is difficult but later when the everything is all over I could maybe see the Libya with a stable government. They have gone through so many regimens, that i think they deserve a strong democratic government that can take care of it's self. For now the people of Libya is going to have to stay united and strong. Most importantly, to accept different countries to come together, and coming up with a plan. Libya is a place that is worldly know for there oil, which can be a beneficial factor for the people and the country of Libya. -Paul Perez
In my knowledge I have never been exposed to who Gaddafi was until the revolution in February 2011. In 1969, at 27 years old Muammar Gaddafi was the leader of a small group of military officers, who organized a coup d’état against King Idris. Since then, Gaddafi has been leading the country. According to many people, Gaddafi has not been a good leader. On the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Gaddafi announced the suspension of all existing laws and the implementation of Sharia. Also, he had done other horrible things. After popular movements upturned the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, Libya experienced a revolt starting on February 17, 2011. Since then, more and more people have been rebelling against Gaddafi. Human loves freedom. Therefore, if the citizens of Libya feel that they are not free enough or unsecure under the lead of Gaddafi, it is their right to protest. However, they should protest with no violence. Meaning the revolution should not affect the economy, the education, and the people who don’t want to get involved in the revolution. Furthermore, I think the revolution will succeed because they are fighting for what is right. To conclude, I don’t believe in revenge but in justice. Therefore, if they can prove that Gaddafi is guilty of all the horrible things he is accused of, justice should be made. CHRISTINA ALPHONSE
Honestly, I don’t know much about Libya but that it has been ruled by Muammar Gaddafi since 1969 when he overthrew king Idris, and that the Libyan revolution consist of a war between those loyal to him and those to who wish to be rid of him. I wish to believe that there is hope for Libya, as it seems that they are interested in moving forward to a better government system. As stated in the article “Libya’s revolution has perhaps proven to be the exception in that we saw little to no looting or destruction of public wealth, nor did we witness other atrocities that usually accompany such changes. It seems that Libyans realize that engaging in such behavior would undermine the very goals they have fought and died for.” It seems to me, since Gaddafi has surrounded himself with people either extremely loyal to him or part of his family to help keep him strong in ruling over Libya, it causes a bit of a dilemma in trying to overcome him. Especially, when he was smart enough to weaken the Libyan military as well, Gaddafi has overseen Libya with his own ideology for years, which hasn’t seemed to work for the nation. I believe that in a considerate amount of time Libya’s people will all gather together and overthrow Gaddafi to finally implement the democratic system they wish and are prepared to handle as they have proven themselves. They will be a strong nation then they were before Gaddafi and after.
Everything wrong that is going on will stop at some point. This is what is happening at Libya now days. Gaddafi who is the governor of Libya have been in the power for 41 years, and the people of Libya are finally stood up to protest against him .They believe Gaddafi is not doing anything productive for their country. Even though Libyans are protesting; Gaddafi is refusing to give up the power, which created a crisis in the country of Libya. What I really think of this event, I think the Libyan fell like the government haven’t fulfill the society needs, they believe since Gaddafi took power ;they haven’t seen any changed. So they feel like they need someone else to replace Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule. In my opinion I believe there is hope for this revolution because majority of the population of Libya are not satisfied of Gaddafi‘s 41 year rules. And I also believe they will not stop until they get rid of him. He needs give up the power because the Libyans believe in change and they want it now..
In my opinion Libya is a relatively new. Meaning the people in Libya is still trying to find what they stand for and what they would like to be known for. I say this judging by their history: from Arab Islamic rules (642-1551) were The Aghlabids were the most attentive Islamic rulers and they brought prosperity to the area of agriculture; the Ottoman regency (1551-1911) that brought several wars like Barbary Wars, Napoleonic Wars. Being born and raised in Cuba I think that a Revolution comes in place in time of desperation. I’m a firm believer that the only thing that Revolutions bring is war, anger, and a lot of nuisance towards the community of the country. Though, in reality someone has to take control and try and fix what has been damaged for several years. The first change that would be a big step for Libya is having a lot more freedom. They have no freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion. Without this no one is able to speak their mind; if they do they’ll end up in jail, like most of their political prisoners. I think that a more experience country with much more civilized laws should help Libya. Especially when there are rumors that Gaddaffi has a largo following and there is word that he probably has links to Al Quaeda.
In my opinion Libya is a relatively new. Meaning the people in Libya is still trying to find what they stand for and what they would like to be known for. I say this judging by their history: from Arab Islamic rules (642-1551) were The Aghlabids were the most attentive Islamic rulers and they brought prosperity to the area of agriculture; the Ottoman regency (1551-1911) that brought several wars like Barbary Wars, Napoleonic Wars. Being born and raised in Cuba I think that a Revolution comes in place in time of desperation. I’m a firm believer that the only thing that Revolutions bring is war, anger, and a lot of nuisance towards the community of the country. Though, in reality someone has to take control and try and fix what has been damaged for several years. The first change that would be a big step for Libya is having a lot more freedom. They have no freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion. Without this no one is able to speak their mind; if they do they’ll end up in jail, like most of their political prisoners. I think that a more experience country with much more civilized laws should help Libya. Especially when there are rumors that Gaddaffi has a largo following and there is word that he probably has links to Al Quaeda. Reynel Mirabal
1951,the Libyan constitution is abolished and Gadafi's ideology is in place, marking the start of Libya's oppression; when the basic right of liberty is taken away. Libyans are forced to be under constant surviellance in government, eduacation and factories. Their press is the most sensored in all the middle east and Africa. Purification laws are passed(theft=amputation of limbs) and public hangings become part of everyday broadcast. Leaving a dark shadow on the people of Libya. That being said, I see it in two perspectives. From a psychological stand point it is no surprise that this event has occured,Gaddafi has had atleast 25 assasination attempts, just in the 80s. The country rich in natural resources and Gadafi's family vast in fortune when most of the country lives in poverty. The last straw was when the people where promised housing but it was never fulfilled. Libyan people have been nobel and have not looted or damaged public property. The goal is set for a new government. Bringing the political perspective into view and the main focus of this civil war. With Gaddafi out of power the Libyans must determine if they'd like their old constitution into place and select their government and leaders. I feel that there is hope. It will not be easy and the count for lost innocent lives will just continue, but hopefully Gadaffi's forces will realize that if he is capable of burning 130 of his own soldiers, then there is no purpose to continue fighting.
I believe that the Libyan people will revolt against Gaddafi after he has caused 40 years of distress under his leadership. This has already happened in many countries around the world, sometimes it turns out to be successful and sometimes not. I don’t really approve of this behavior from the Libyans, but it’s the only thing they have left to do. From punishing those with death who have questioned him, to spending Libya’s income and money in weapons and other tools for war, the Libyans have put up with a lot of punishment given by Gaddafi. The people of Libya need to find some sort of way to find peace between Gaddafi and the population of Libya. As of right now Gaddafi shows no signs of letting up, but I do believe one day this revolution will be a success in the near future.
The revolution in Libya, many rebels had not yet taken power in Triopli at the time of writing, but it seems that the end of colonel Muammar Gaddafi is in place he was in power for many years. The latest challenge was an popular uprising ,which began in mid Febuary and seems to have succeeded. The uprising saw the USA, in disguise of NATO, replied back to the rebels by a bombing campaign that did not just echo the Balkan Campaign, but also the previous attempt by the U.S to assassinate Gaddafi, but resulted in the murder of his adopted daughter. Many other individuals were killed. Libya stands as one of the distinguished centers of a Sufism opposed both to unquestioning acceptance of Islamic law and to scriptural absolutism, and dedicated to freedom and progress. With the fall of the dictatorship, it will now be necessary to analyze whether and how Libya's Sufi past can positively influence its future.
From my point view, nothing good is about to happen for Libya and any other countries its only going to get worst, so preparation is the key factor.
What is happening in Libya was bound to happen sooner or later. Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf has been ruling for over 40 years and it seems that in the beginning it was very different from what is now. In the beginning years, it seemed that everything was going peaceful. Yet, at some point, people like Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf start abusing of the power they have and turn things around. Throughout his rule, Gaddafi had to defend his position against opposition and coup attempts, emerging both from the military and from the general population. To avoid opposition, he relied on repression and assassination of anyone who opposed him. He has shown footage to the public of executions of those who dared oppose him. He created fear amongst the people of Libya and gained loyalty of others by doing them favors. People in Libya feel as if they come last as opposed to the oil they have. I believe that the involvement of the UN Security Council, United States, and Europe was kind of them to do since many of the rebels were untrained in fighting back. Yet, I also believe that their involvement had a deep motive behind which is oil. More involvement of foreign powers only means more debt Libya will have with them. There could be hope in overthrowing Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf because a man like him shouldn't be a leader and I doubt this fight will end anytime soon since the rebels' mindset seems very strong. Yet, I do not know what to expect from it for the reason that the political system in the opposing side is not organized. Who will be in charge of Libya if Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf is out? In my opinion, it will be very chaotic since there isn't a firm political system to hand the power to next. This is one thing that makes the Libyan revolution unique because Egypt and Tunisia were able to hang that power to someone else.
Who would be satisfied with 41 years of poverty, no freedom of speech, press and religion ? The right of liberty was taken away since Gaddafi came into power. Since 1951, he abolished the lybian constitution and adopted laws based on his own ideology. All the business enterprise has been controlled by gaddafi and his family. What is different about Lybia is that for the first time it will actually be the revolutionaries and rebels who will govern their new country. They dont have to worry about old regime structures anymore because they are starting form zero. I think that to start a good revolution they need to worry about great structural and institutional changes. People think that Lybia is not a true "revolution" because it has recieved international support, but i think that sometimes when you're facing this levels of repression you need external forces to help balance the situation. Like in every revolutionary war the levels of massacres and rapes will increase. The international federation of human rights reported a case where 130 soldiers were executed because they refused to fire on protesters. I really hope lybia continues to fight for their liberty and that one day it becomes stable.
Those who have experienced life under an oppressive regime know that state-sanctioned tyranny produces a kind of collective cultural madness that pervades almost every aspect of daily life of a whole country. Revolution is fueled by love and rage in equal measure; love for country, and anger at an unjust, inhumane system. And now, as if from a bad dream, Libyans will slowly wake up and begin to learn who and what they are in this new, and still unknown place. Anyone who has lived for any extended period of time under oppression knows that the strongest tools of coercion are not physical, but mental. The 42 years reign of Gaddafi, was a period of growth and despair in equal measure, this is now a part of the Libyan's history. As has been successfully undertaken in many nations, Libya will begin reconciling its past so that those shackles of tyranny, once hidden away in the recesses of the mind of millions, will be brought to light and cast off in the name of freedom.
Muammad Gaddafi put an end to the lybian constitution of 1951 and choose laws based on his own belief. Much of the states income comes from its oil production and was spent by gaddafi's relatives on luxurious homes and private parties. While all of this happens there is a whole country starving and trying to get the best out of the worst in the country full of corruption. Thats why i think it was time to let the revolutionaries and rebels to gobern a new country and create great structural changes. Protest and confrontations began in feb 2011 when hundred of protesters in each town called for an end in gaddafi regime and set fire to police. Lybia needs international support to get through this, sometimes when you are facing this levels of repression you need external forces to help balance everything.
28 comments:
From what i know about the events going on in libya I believe this civil war, or "revolution" to be no more than the beginning of the end of Libya as we know it. When gaddafi came into power and implemented his change in the government and the way the country was run it was all supposed to be for change and for the better like all new people coming into office say (Obama for example was preaching change, what has he changed besides making healthcare worse and it was only passed to improve his ratings amongst the people for reelection) when the reality is that once gaddafi came into power, according the the economist "The eastern parts of the country have been 'ruined' due to Gaddafi's economic theories". with most revolution there fear and thought in almost all is this, will things really get better, or will all of the negative just intensify, are we making a mistake by supporting this or is it right? with all revolution there is much doubt flooding the peoples minds and a raised concern that putts people even further in edge. so honestly in my opinion NO there is no hope for this revolution, i feel the only way to make things right is to take all people that had anything to do with the past governments out of any sort of position of power and revamp everything, reeducate everyone and show them their history which isn't present there in this time because history does repeat it self, so in turn it will prepare them for their future!
Revolution in Libya
The revolution of Libya in this scenario is claimed to be a “unique event” in the conclusion of our given article. We are also summoned to define and understand what a revolution truly is. The nature of the idea of a revolution first must take into account the specific scenario of each revolutionary experience, and thus the adjective of “unique” to describe revolution by default becomes an intrinsic property of the definition. That being said, we are directed to three different disciplines of thought in order to understand the revolution: sociological, political, and psychological. I would like to argue that we can simplify all three to a basic concept. The concept, which was also mentioned in the article, is the concept of equilibrium. We may attempt to utilize as many facets of the past present and possible future, but the likelihood that our inventory of events would be entirely complete is logically impossible. Furthermore, since every cause has an effect, the law of causality, the summation of the effects due to the summation of causation that will ultimately produce the outcome of the revolution of Libya is logically impossible to predict. This is due to our inability to inventory and calculate the summation of the causation of the events, regardless of the length of political, sociological, or psychological history. In summation, the outcome of the revolution of Libya will react naturally to offset of the equilibrium of the causation. Hope is relative to the perception of the subjective, and by the limitation of subjective experience, hope is irrelevant.
“Oppressed people can not remain oppressed forever” (Martin Luther King Jr), and the Libyan people saw “light” through Egyptian eyes. If we look at the history of Libya we can see that these people have struggled constantly. First, to free themselves from outside rulers, later from a greedy King Idris, and last but not least, a tyrant by the name of Muammar al-Gaddafi. I see Libya as a relatively new nation with a lot of history indicating great effort to conquer freedom, to develop a democratic system that works, and to bring much-desired “equilibrium” from a sociological, psychological and political stand point.
Is there hope that this is going to work? I think so. Because it is our human nature to be constantly evolving, reaching further, better, faster, in a constant search of improvement. Is it going to be flawless? No, but I am sure it’s going to be better than before. Why? Because, on top of everything else, they are lucky enough, (not like other nations) to hold 60% of the oil reserve of the world. The “world” needs this revolution to work, and Libya to become stable and organized.
Carina Llobet
The Libyan Revolution, although hard to understand and complex, is completely necessary. Gaddafi who had been the autocratic ruler in Libya since he overthrew “King Idris” in 1969 oppressed the Libyan people in many ways. Gaddafi completely corrupted the government by using all of the money Libya generated from Petroleum to support his lavish lifestyle and distribute a gravy train to his supporters leaving the rest of the Libyan people in poverty and many unemployed. This along with no decent medical care, no up keeping of government run necessities such as sewage plants and dumps, no creating of jobs, and no housing development in almost 40 years is enough for a revolution. But, Gaddafi also violated human rights by executing people against him publicly, banning Libyan people from speaking to foreigners about politics, and banning the education of foreign languages in school. He ruled by his extremist “Green Book”. Fortunately this widely covered even has sympathy from many people around the world and the Libyan spirit has remained through the mass murders and cleanses of Gaddafi. There are people around the world willing to help the Libyans including the UN, Amnesty International, and citizens from other countries.
If the Libyans stay engaged in their government’s political affairs, the possibility of creating a stable democratic society will be great. From what I’ve heard and read about their revolt, they showed countries that they are ready to live in a democracy. Instead of going on a looting rampage, they demonstrated a purpose in their protest. Also, they didn’t bother destroying public property. Protesters in Libya managed to keep their revolt civil. What I fear most with the Libyans is a strong dependency for their government. I don’t want them to develop a habit to nominate or elect political officials and allow this politician to speak to the point that the citizens lose their voice. When America was developing a strong democratic nation, the people as American citizens use their voice and spoke with conviction. As centuries past, that voice started to diminish. Right now, American citizen’s political involvement is at it’s low percentage. America had become to reliant on representatives speaking for them. Libya have a chance to create a democracy in their country as long as the voice they fought to receive remain in tact for centuries to come.
In my opinion, a revolution just like any event that calls forth change has two sides. One is the always positive side of the event where a non-conformist (often oppressed) group of people, who belong to a common religion, political ideology, or ethical background, initiate a massive movement against their current type of government in the hopes of a better future society and usually achieves it. However there is another side to that coin, there is the negative side where an unhappy group of citizens who doesn’t feel fully represented by their current government, start a massive revolt (which is usually supported by foreign nations or third parties who see a benefit in a change in the political system of a certain place) and this leads to the abolishment of a well established social structure, and more often than not, ends up instituting a worst an certainly more oppressive regime than the last one.
The case of Libya as of now has not yet been showing signs leading to any type of specific future organization. If is truth that the previous political system was a totalitarian regime or may even be called a monarchy (ruled by the Qaddafi clan) and that the bloody rebellion taking place there, looks like it will finally lead to the overthrowing of such system, the most important question still remains, is this the positive side of the coin or the negative side?
It may be true that it is an oppressed people those who are taking action, and also it is true that the system they are trying to suppress is an oppressive dictatorship, However, the people of Libya has not yet pronounce any type of interpretation about where the new system they want to impose may be going, it has been more the speculations of the western countries who were involved in the attack to Qaddafi’s system who see a great benefit from the change of system than the ones from the actual Libyan citizens. It is because the lack of a common goal and the lack of any previous system to de-centralize the government’s power, that lead me to believe that perhaps this revolution may be heading to the second face of the coin, more in the benefit of third parties than the people themselves and with the risk of ending with a worst system. Furthermore I think that if the Libyan rebels and the loyal forces, actually decide on a consolidated future organization for their country, taking in account the opinion of the conservators and the new idealists, a bright future may be waiting at the end of this confrontation.
Everybody should know that a powerful person such as the Rulers will always have people for and against; in these cases, power is dangerous when it is not directed in favor of the society. The most of the cases, rulers` greed leads them to use the power in their own benefit, and here is when the society complains; if the country`s economy grows and its members` economy is the same or worst so they start protesting against the government in different ways.
In Libya case, I can notice something wrong in the political system just knowing that its ruler Gadafi has been in the power for 40 years; changes should exist in order to prevent the dictatorship (the power accumulation in one person), because a person who knows that he/she has a big control in a society feels the confidence to make whatever he/she wants with this.
In my opinion, this revolution had to have started long years ago, however; there is a saying “the valiant lives until the coward wants” and the Lebanese got tired of the tyranny; it is truth that the revolution affects to other countries because Libya is an important supplier of oil, but the Lebanese have the right of fight for its liberty and for a better quality of life.
GEOVANA VAZQUEZ
Libya knows what they are fighting for, and they are doing it with style and grace. Unlike many other revolutionists, Libyans are maintaining a healthy protest. There has been no looting and no damage to public property nor to any other human beings. Protesting in such a healthy manner goes to show that Libyans understand the worth of what they believe in and in their fight. Patience is key, Looting and violence would only demise their goals. With that shows great hope for the success of this revolution. It is time for Libyans to have change. One ruler for four decades is just way to long. How can a country grow with the views and beliefs of just one man? Personally I am surprised it took Libyans so long to fight back. It must have taken a lot of neglect and abuse on Gadafi’s part to force his people into such a deep corner where they felt that they had no other option but to fight fire with fire.
The libyan revolution is a good example that shows that you don’t have to be a strong political country to fight for your rights. major well known politicians across africa were surprise of how a city by the name of tripoli, would cause a rebellion against a tyrant by the name of Gaddafi and his armed forces. Gaddafi an his corrupted politician ways would serve an experience for libya an its neighboring african countries. this revolution could have good consequences, full diplomatic relations could be restore with countries all over the world who had not been in talks with libya before the events, for example the U.S. I would love to say that this rebellion could serve as an example for other countries who are also being ruled by tyrant politicians, who does not let the peoples voice be heard but this could be extremely hard in the sense that Gaddafi didn’t have full control over libya military, other countries leader do have control over their military making a rebellion not impossible but suicidal. i am in favor that this rebellion could make a difference for the better than the worst, regardless of what history shows us.
This revolution is different from past revolutions in the past because the people are not resorting to violence to get their way but they are taking actions to get the progress they want threw peaceful protests. I think Libya was in a great need for this revolution. It is not right for a leader to suppress the people of his country for his own beliefs and lavish lifestyle. I think that if the Libyans have taken control of this situation very well. I believe that if they keep moving forward and push for what they really believe is right that this revolution will not be like the other revolutions in the past and will have a good outcome.
Libya’s revolution was a necessary event that was brought on by Gaddafi’s abuse of power and lack of care for his own people. Many countries around the world can learn from the forces in Libya as there has been a lack of violence and chaos that is normally abundant in revolutions of this size. This leads me to believe that there is hope for the Libyan people; the citizens have taken matters into their own hands and have been at the forefront of this revolt. Without having to rely on outside resources or a foreign government the NTC is forced to be held accountable for their actions and to plan the next steps carefully. Granted, there is a good chance that this revolution could end badly. It now becomes a waiting game to see how things will turn out.
This Libyan revolution is happening from the people not being able to take being pushed around anymore. Violence isn’t always needed but the Libyans were pushed to the edge and they felt they needed to fight for their freedom. It wasn’t fair how they were being treated they need rights of their own. So they started this revolution so they can have change in Libya where they grew up and loved it. Libya is their home and they want to do anything to feel safe and comfortable. They’ve tried the nice way but it has lead to this. Hopefully with this revolution they can bring peace and everyone can get along. It all could have been avoided even other cities are trying to help calm down the situation but it has been taken too far. The people of Libya will stop at nothing to get peace at their home for their family and kids.
This topic makes me insanely upset because what first comes to mind is the unfair and advantage someone so powerful can take towards others. No good ever come out a politician at times because everyone is so corrupted and they usually take the role of following each other’s footsteps. When it comes to governing or ruling a source, it must be a rotation of leaders rather than an individual in charge for countless of years. No matter what, you will always find an issue that was left from the previous leader, which you now have to take care of. So, imagine governing a country for years where you face endless of issues and at some point you will end up giving up at what you believe in.
It is well known that a revolution is the destruction of one government which is then replace with another. Revolution has been taking place since the period of B.C. As of now, the recent issue with Libya comes from nothing more than a lack of organizing. An individual with so many years in power will of course take advantage of it and its people. He will find no use into helping others because he will have the idea that he have done enough already. This revolution must come to an end because they carry one of the most valuable sources and with their disorganizing structure, a load of negativity will lead them into more issues.
A revolution is a weapon that can be use for good or evil, history has shown many times how many lives are lost in revolutions, most revolutions turn violent because the current people in power don’t want to give it up and it ends up being a war; however revolutions had brought great things such as independence and the abolition of slavery and racism in many places. It takes a great opposition in number of people and anger to reach where Libyan revolution has reach, people could not be happy with Gadafys regimen witch its often said to support terrorism, corruption and many well known violent acts. It takes a lot of courage to do what those rebels did, after suffering so long they are finally extinguishing that violent regimen. History has shown us that in order to get rid of evil powers one generation must suffer for the wellbeing of the next one however any person knows if what will follow could be better or worst.
It is amazing what the people of Libya are doing revolving from a government that is using there power for no good. Revolting peacefully, and setting an example that they are not savages, but humans. These people have even been threaten, knowing that Gaddafi would not hold back. Gaddafi would executed dissidents publicly and the executions were often rebroadcast on state television channels.
It is going to be hard for this country kick there old tradition out the door. It is going to be hard for the people of Libya to overcome a way of life they have experience for most of the Life's. It is like a culture shock. The actual change is difficult but later when the everything is all over I could maybe see the Libya with a stable government. They have gone through so many regimens, that i think they deserve a strong democratic government that can take care of it's self. For now the people of Libya is going to have to stay united and strong. Most importantly, to accept different countries to come together, and coming up with a plan. Libya is a place that is worldly know for there oil, which can be a beneficial factor for the people and the country of Libya.
-Paul Perez
In my knowledge I have never been exposed to who Gaddafi was until the revolution in February 2011. In 1969, at 27 years old Muammar Gaddafi was the leader of a small group of military officers, who organized a coup d’état against King Idris. Since then, Gaddafi has been leading the country. According to many people, Gaddafi has not been a good leader. On the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Gaddafi announced the suspension of all existing laws and the implementation of Sharia. Also, he had done other horrible things. After popular movements upturned the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, Libya experienced a revolt starting on February 17, 2011. Since then, more and more people have been rebelling against Gaddafi. Human loves freedom. Therefore, if the citizens of Libya feel that they are not free enough or unsecure under the lead of Gaddafi, it is their right to protest. However, they should protest with no violence. Meaning the revolution should not affect the economy, the education, and the people who don’t want to get involved in the revolution. Furthermore, I think the revolution will succeed because they are fighting for what is right. To conclude, I don’t believe in revenge but in justice. Therefore, if they can prove that Gaddafi is guilty of all the horrible things he is accused of, justice should be made.
CHRISTINA ALPHONSE
Honestly, I don’t know much about Libya but that it has been ruled by Muammar Gaddafi since 1969 when he overthrew king Idris, and that the Libyan revolution consist of a war between those loyal to him and those to who wish to be rid of him. I wish to believe that there is hope for Libya, as it seems that they are interested in moving forward to a better government system. As stated in the article “Libya’s revolution has perhaps proven to be the exception in that we saw little to no looting or destruction of public wealth, nor did we witness other atrocities that usually accompany such changes. It seems that Libyans realize that engaging in such behavior would undermine the very goals they have fought and died for.” It seems to me, since Gaddafi has surrounded himself with people either extremely loyal to him or part of his family to help keep him strong in ruling over Libya, it causes a bit of a dilemma in trying to overcome him. Especially, when he was smart enough to weaken the Libyan military as well, Gaddafi has overseen Libya with his own ideology for years, which hasn’t seemed to work for the nation. I believe that in a considerate amount of time Libya’s people will all gather together and overthrow Gaddafi to finally implement the democratic system they wish and are prepared to handle as they have proven themselves. They will be a strong nation then they were before Gaddafi and after.
Everything wrong that is going on will stop at some point. This is what is happening at Libya now days. Gaddafi who is the governor of Libya have been in the power for 41 years, and the people of Libya are finally stood up to protest against him .They believe Gaddafi is not doing anything productive for their country. Even though Libyans are protesting; Gaddafi is refusing to give up the power, which created a crisis in the country of Libya. What I really think of this event, I think the Libyan fell like the government haven’t fulfill the society needs, they believe since Gaddafi took power ;they haven’t seen any changed. So they feel like they need someone else to replace Muammar Gaddafi's 41-year rule. In my opinion I believe there is hope for this revolution because majority of the population of Libya are not satisfied of Gaddafi‘s 41 year rules. And I also believe they will not stop until they get rid of him. He needs give up the power because the Libyans believe in change and they want it now..
In my opinion Libya is a relatively new. Meaning the people in Libya is still trying to find what they stand for and what they would like to be known for. I say this judging by their history: from Arab Islamic rules (642-1551) were The Aghlabids were the most attentive Islamic rulers and they brought prosperity to the area of agriculture; the Ottoman regency (1551-1911) that brought several wars like Barbary Wars, Napoleonic Wars. Being born and raised in Cuba I think that a Revolution comes in place in time of desperation. I’m a firm believer that the only thing that Revolutions bring is war, anger, and a lot of nuisance towards the community of the country. Though, in reality someone has to take control and try and fix what has been damaged for several years. The first change that would be a big step for Libya is having a lot more freedom. They have no freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion. Without this no one is able to speak their mind; if they do they’ll end up in jail, like most of their political prisoners. I think that a more experience country with much more civilized laws should help Libya. Especially when there are rumors that Gaddaffi has a largo following and there is word that he probably has links to Al Quaeda.
Reynel Mirabal
In my opinion Libya is a relatively new. Meaning the people in Libya is still trying to find what they stand for and what they would like to be known for. I say this judging by their history: from Arab Islamic rules (642-1551) were The Aghlabids were the most attentive Islamic rulers and they brought prosperity to the area of agriculture; the Ottoman regency (1551-1911) that brought several wars like Barbary Wars, Napoleonic Wars. Being born and raised in Cuba I think that a Revolution comes in place in time of desperation. I’m a firm believer that the only thing that Revolutions bring is war, anger, and a lot of nuisance towards the community of the country. Though, in reality someone has to take control and try and fix what has been damaged for several years. The first change that would be a big step for Libya is having a lot more freedom. They have no freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, and religion. Without this no one is able to speak their mind; if they do they’ll end up in jail, like most of their political prisoners. I think that a more experience country with much more civilized laws should help Libya. Especially when there are rumors that Gaddaffi has a largo following and there is word that he probably has links to Al Quaeda.
Reynel Mirabal
1951,the Libyan constitution is abolished and Gadafi's ideology is in place, marking the start of Libya's oppression; when the basic right of liberty is taken away. Libyans are forced to be under constant surviellance in government, eduacation and factories. Their press is the most sensored in all the middle east and Africa. Purification laws are passed(theft=amputation of limbs) and public hangings become part of everyday broadcast. Leaving a dark shadow on the people of Libya. That being said, I see it in two perspectives. From a psychological stand point it is no surprise that this event has occured,Gaddafi has had atleast 25 assasination attempts, just in the 80s. The country rich in natural resources and Gadafi's family vast in fortune when most of the country lives in poverty. The last straw was when the people where promised housing but it was never fulfilled. Libyan people have been nobel and have not looted or damaged public property. The goal is set for a new government. Bringing the political perspective into view and the main focus of this civil war. With Gaddafi out of power the Libyans must determine if they'd like their old constitution into place and select their government and leaders. I feel that there is hope. It will not be easy and the count for lost innocent lives will just continue, but hopefully Gadaffi's forces will realize that if he is capable of burning 130 of his own soldiers, then there is no purpose to continue fighting.
I believe that the Libyan people will revolt against Gaddafi after he has caused 40 years of distress under his leadership. This has already happened in many countries around the world, sometimes it turns out to be successful and sometimes not. I don’t really approve of this behavior from the Libyans, but it’s the only thing they have left to do. From punishing those with death who have questioned him, to spending Libya’s income and money in weapons and other tools for war, the Libyans have put up with a lot of punishment given by Gaddafi. The people of Libya need to find some sort of way to find peace between Gaddafi and the population of Libya. As of right now Gaddafi shows no signs of letting up, but I do believe one day this revolution will be a success in the near future.
The revolution in Libya, many rebels had not yet taken power in Triopli at the time of writing, but it seems that the end of colonel Muammar Gaddafi is in place he was in power for many years. The latest challenge was an popular uprising ,which began in mid Febuary and seems to have succeeded. The uprising saw the USA, in disguise of NATO, replied back to the rebels by a bombing campaign that did not just echo the Balkan Campaign, but also the previous attempt by the U.S to assassinate Gaddafi, but resulted in the murder of his adopted daughter. Many other individuals were killed. Libya stands as one of the distinguished centers of a Sufism opposed both to unquestioning acceptance of Islamic law and to scriptural absolutism, and dedicated to freedom and progress. With the fall of the dictatorship, it will now be necessary to analyze whether and how Libya's Sufi past can positively influence its future.
From my point view, nothing good is about to happen for Libya and any other countries its only going to get worst, so preparation is the key factor.
What is happening in Libya was bound to happen sooner or later. Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf has been ruling for over 40 years and it seems that in the beginning it was very different from what is now. In the beginning years, it seemed that everything was going peaceful. Yet, at some point, people like Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf start abusing of the power they have and turn things around. Throughout his rule, Gaddafi had to defend his position against opposition and coup attempts, emerging both from the military and from the general population. To avoid opposition, he relied on repression and assassination of anyone who opposed him. He has shown footage to the public of executions of those who dared oppose him. He created fear amongst the people of Libya and gained loyalty of others by doing them favors. People in Libya feel as if they come last as opposed to the oil they have.
I believe that the involvement of the UN Security Council, United States, and Europe was kind of them to do since many of the rebels were untrained in fighting back. Yet, I also believe that their involvement had a deep motive behind which is oil. More involvement of foreign powers only means more debt Libya will have with them. There could be hope in overthrowing Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf because a man like him shouldn't be a leader and I doubt this fight will end anytime soon since the rebels' mindset seems very strong. Yet, I do not know what to expect from it for the reason that the political system in the opposing side is not organized. Who will be in charge of Libya if Col. Muammar el-Qaddaf is out? In my opinion, it will be very chaotic since there isn't a firm political system to hand the power to next. This is one thing that makes the Libyan revolution unique because Egypt and Tunisia were able to hang that power to someone else.
Who would be satisfied with 41 years of poverty, no freedom of speech, press and religion ? The right of liberty was taken away since Gaddafi came into power. Since 1951, he abolished the lybian constitution and adopted laws based on his own ideology. All the business enterprise has been controlled by gaddafi and his family. What is different about Lybia is that for the first time it will actually be the revolutionaries and rebels who will govern their new country. They dont have to worry about old regime structures anymore because they are starting form zero. I think that to start a good revolution they need to worry about great structural and institutional changes. People think that Lybia is not a true "revolution" because it has recieved international support, but i think that sometimes when you're facing this levels of repression you need external forces to help balance the situation. Like in every revolutionary war the levels of massacres and rapes will increase. The international federation of human rights reported a case where 130 soldiers were executed because they refused to fire on protesters. I really hope lybia continues to fight for their liberty and that one day it becomes stable.
Those who have experienced life under an oppressive regime know that state-sanctioned tyranny produces a kind of collective cultural madness that pervades almost every aspect of daily life of a whole country. Revolution is fueled by love and rage in equal measure; love for country, and anger at an unjust, inhumane system. And now, as if from a bad dream, Libyans will slowly wake up and begin to learn who and what they are in this new, and still unknown place. Anyone who has lived for any extended period of time under oppression knows that the strongest tools of coercion are not physical, but mental. The 42 years reign of Gaddafi, was a period of growth and despair in equal measure, this is now a part of the Libyan's history. As has been successfully undertaken in many nations, Libya will begin reconciling its past so that those shackles of tyranny, once hidden away in the recesses of the mind of millions, will be brought to light and cast off in the name of freedom.
Muammad Gaddafi put an end to the lybian constitution of 1951 and choose laws based on his own belief. Much of the states income comes from its oil production and was spent by gaddafi's relatives on luxurious homes and private parties. While all of this happens there is a whole country starving and trying to get the best out of the worst in the country full of corruption. Thats why i think it was time to let the revolutionaries and rebels to gobern a new country and create great structural changes. Protest and confrontations began in feb 2011 when hundred of protesters in each town called for an end in gaddafi regime and set fire to police. Lybia needs international support to get through this, sometimes when you are facing this levels of repression you need external forces to help balance everything.
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