ABSTRACT
Of all the states in North Africa, Libya has arguably experienced the most profound political, economic and social transformation since the unleashing of the Arab Spring. Not only was Libya’s the most protracted and bloody of all of North Africa’s revolutions, but the toppling of its leader, Colonel Muammar Qadhafi, resulted in the opening up of the largest power vacuum in the region. Along with its leader, almost all of the vestiges of the former regime and, more importantly, the unique and bizarre state that Qadhafi created, were swept away almost overnight. Indeed, given the peculiarities of his Jamahiriyah (State of the Masses) when Qadhafi collapsed, the state collapsed with him.
