Two Pepperdine professors weighed in on the Libya crisis at an event in Payson Library on Monday. Dr. David Simonowitz visiting assistant professor of Middle Eastern studies and Dr. Robert Lloyd associate professor of international relations provided analysis into the conflict.
The situation in Libya has moved rapidly since protests began Feb. 17 and the true nature of the conflict has remained an enigma to most Americans.
Simonowitz provided historical background speaking briefly about the history of Libya under Colonel Muammar Qaddafi and the events that set the foundation for the current conflict between the regime and Western-backed rebels. Simonowitz called Qaddafi who has led the country for the past 42 years a wild card describing him as “an unpredictable figure facing opposition on both the domestic and international level.”
He continued explaining that Qaddafi implemented “a lot of movements that [the West] deemed unpalatable violent and terrorist in that regard.”
Qaddafi has been involved in a number of high profile terrorist attacks including the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland which killed 270 people. In addition to Qaddafi’s international terrorist campaign he also waged domestic terrorism: “A major percentage of the population was engaged in intelligence in spying on the inhabitants and citizens of Libya; people were arbitrarily arrested and jailed and there was a major massacre in 1986 of some 1200 prisoners Simonowitz explained.
The present-day conflicts, both international and domestic, are a direct result of this tyranny. The initial conflict followed the same model of protests in Tunisia and Egypt, but soon morphed into something much bloodier.
Lloyd, an expert on conflict management and resolution, explained the escalation in conflict management terms.
It went from the articulation of grievances phase to the mobilization phase crossing the Rubicon right into violent phase within a very rapid period of time.”
Qaddafi eventually threatened a “bloodbath” and the international community had no choice but to take notice given his notorious track record. The international community took quick action to condemn the leader supporting a no-fly zone aimed at stifling Qaddafi’s promised bloodbath.
Britain and France in particular were adamant about the no-fly zone being implemented. The United States had been reluctant to intervene given the state of affairs in Afghanistan and Iraq two places President Barack Obama did not want to be. “The United States did not want to start a third war against another Arab country which is essentially what we’ve done Lloyd explained.
U.N. Resolution 1973, passed by the Security Council on March 17, is considered a Chapter VII resolution which, as Lloyd explained, is more than just a no-fly zone. It is a comprehensive isolation of the country. A no-fly zone in many ways is an act of war.”
With the United States now engaged in a third war in an Arab state Britain and France on a unstoppable warpath with Qaddafi as the target Qaddafi seemingly immovable and stubborn and civilian lives at stake the future of Libya is uncertain to say the least. Even if things are settled in Libya Lloyd then posed the question “How do you rebuild?” Given the unpredictable climate of northern Africa and the Middle East it seems that only time will tell.