A History of Modern Libya

This updated edition of the history of Libya charts developments since 2005 through civil war and Qadhafi's demise.

Dirk Vandewalle (Author)

9781107019393, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 March 2012

296 pages, 8 b/w illus. 3 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.57 kg

'There has clearly been no lack of studies on Libya and its leader over the years. The book under review, however, has the advantage of placing developments after 1969 in perspective relative to the country's early history: it shows how Qadhafi's apparent dramatic and idiosyncratic political ideas can be seen as a logical conclusion of Libya's earlier weakness or failure as a state. Emphasizing economic structures and policies, the book places these into a political, ideological, and structural context that makes it an excellent and up-to-date analytical introduction to the history of this country, which has had an impact so much larger than its size.' International Journal of Middle East Studies

In the wake of the civil war and Qadhafi's demise, the time is ripe for a new edition of Dirk Vandewalle's classic history of Libya. The book, which was originally published in 2006, traces the country's history back to the 1900s, through the Italian occupation in the early twentieth century, the Sanusi monarchy and, thereafter, to the revolution of 1969 and the accession of Qadhafi. The following chapters analyse the economics and politics of Qadhafi's revolution, offering insights into the man and his ideology as reflected in his Green Book. The new edition covers the intervening years, since 2005, when, courted by the West, Qadhafi came in from the cold. At home, though, his people were disillusioned, and economic liberalization came too late to forestall revolution. In an epilogue, the author reflects upon Qadhafi's premiership and the legacy he leaves behind.

Introduction
1. 'A tract which is wholly sand …'
2. Italy's fourth shore and decolonization
3. The Sanusi monarchy as accidental state, 1951–69
4. A Libyan sandstorm: from monarchy to republic, 1969–73
5. The Green Book's stateless society, 1973–86
6. The limits of revolution, 1986–2003
7. From reconciliation to civil war, 2003–11
Epilogue: farewell to the revolution?

Subject Areas: Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]