ABSTRACT
What are the sources of ‘democratic knowledge’ (the term used by Sadiki in this special issue) in a context devoid of relevant experience and institutions? Libya’s Arab Spring was based on grievances and demands that echoed throughout the region in 2011, among them hurriya (freedom), karama (dignity), and ‘adala ijtimaiyya (social justice). Yet, of all the Arab Spring states that underwent some kind of regime change, Libya embarked on its transition in the most challenging circumstances. Not only had Qadhafi’s form of authoritarian rule suppressed any free expression or autonomous social activity, it also suppressed the development of the state more generally (Vandewalle 2012). The absence of an effective state has hindered the delivery of the kinds of public goods – starting with security – that could serve to legitimise fledging democratic institutions. Consequently, as of 2015, Libya’s democratic transition has been derailed and instead a civil war has ensued between two rival governments and their associated militias, a conflict ‘rooted in a balance of weakness between the country’s political factions and armed groups’ (Wehrey 2014).
