ABSTRACT
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, commonly known as Libya, is a relatively new state that rests on land invaded, occupied, and administered by foreign powers since the beginning of recorded history. Prior to independence in 1951, the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Ottomans, and Italians took turns ruling Libya. The magnificent ruins found at ancient sites like Cyrene and Leptis Magna, together with the Arabic language and Islamic religion, are obvious results of centuries of external domination, but a tradition of authoritarian rule has also exerted a strong influence on contemporary Libya. With a few fleeting exceptions, such as Greek experimentation with democratic institutions after Cyrene was founded in 632 BC and the creation of the Tripoli Republic in 1918, authoritarian government has been the rule in Libya.
