Libya has the potential to make a difference in the Arab Spring

East Meredith, New York 

Once the battle with Gaddafi is finished, Libyans can turn to rebuilding their country. Only old attitudes, such as tribal loyalties, stand in the way. After Gaddafi, the greatest challenge in state building will be the exercise of representative and strong national leadership.

Libya is being liberated after Tunisia and Egypt. This recent triumph in Libya will embolden the rebellious movements in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Algeria, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, and in the foreseeable future, even Saudi Arabia.

Of the three liberated North African countries, Libya, despite tribal differences, most resembles Tunisia in having favorable cultural homogeneity within society. Both countries also have manageable-sized populations in relation to the land. While Libya has an advantage over Tunisia in oil wealth, Tunisia is richer in developed non-governmental organizations. To mention one item, Tunisia is relatively liberal in legislation on women’s rights. In rebuilding a society of the future, Libya should eagerly seek close economic and social cooperation with its Arab neighbor on its Western border.

Egypt, in contrast to Libya, has limited cultivable land and a large reservoir of labor. Libya will need construction workers, and educational and health experts, of its neighbor on the Eastern border. Employing Egypt’s labor force just across borders would lessen Cairo’s addiction to foreign assistance and Tripoli’s excessive reliance on Western presence.

Libya is blessed now with the absence of a self-serving military establishment which has nursed Arab autocracies for almost a century. Most Arab rulers have an outrageous sense of entitlement to their nations’ resources. Such manipulative rulers co-opt the military to back up their hold on power. The generals are rewarded for focusing on defense of illegitimate authority rather than the protection of borders.

Even when the ruler is deposed, the power brokers assuming the posture of being on the side of the people, often protect their own interests first.  As a result, the military in Egypt has regained national authority and has slowed the reforms of the post-Mubarak transition. Similarly, albeit to a lesser extent, the powerful business elites in Tunisia have diluted the progress of reform after the demise of President Ben Ali.

Will the transition in Libya be different? The National Transition Council (NTC) of Libya has the potential to begin effective state building since they destroyed the army of Gaddafi with the crucial aid of overwhelming NATO air power. As a result, the leaders of the old regime will not be able to reinvent themselves to take an active role in the post- Gaddafi regime. However, it would be a mistake (a lesson from Iraq’s chaos after Saddam) to bar all former loyalists to Gaddafi from participating in rebuilding the country. An extra tolerant National Transition ( think of South Africa) would gain wider acceptance from all sectors of society and lead the way in building a culture of reconciliation and peace.

Not all the people of Libya are likely to trust the self appointed NTC, which for the most part represents the Eastern (Bengazi) region of the country. Emerging from a climate of violence, which could have developed into a civil war, current Libyan leadership should soon set an end-date for their rule and hand over power to a nationally elected leadership.

The new leaders of Libya have to justify their legitimacy in the days ahead with smart policies. Dependence on NATO for too long would interfere with the process of national recovery. As it pacifies the remnants of old regime loyalists, the Transition Council ought to show tolerance to this opposition. To win the hearts and minds of all the people of Libya, they should immediately widen the circle of their leadership.

Three contiguous North African Arab countries have led the Arab Spring. It is a historic opportunity for Libyans not to dwell on the sins of past but to focus on the opportunities of the future. Egypt and Tunisia are well suited to participate in the rebuilding of Libya. If the leaders of Libya take a regional approach in the rebuilding of their country, NATO’s dominance will be diminishing rapidly.

A decisive difference Libya can make to the Arab Spring is the implementation of a smooth transition to real reform and inter-regional cooperation. If Libya’s transition were to fail, the naysayers of the Arab Spring would be vindicated.