A History of Modern Libya

Dirk Vandewalle is one of only a handful of scholars who have made frequent visits to Libya over the last four decades. His formidable knowledge of the region is encapsulated in his history of Libya which was first published in 2006. The history based on original research and interviews with Libyas political elite traces Libyas history back to the 1900s with a portrait of Libyas desert terrain its peoples and the personalities that shaped it development. It then examines the harrowing years of the Italian occupation in the early twentieth century through the Sanusi monarchy and thereafter to the revolution of 1969 and the accession of Qadhafi. The following chapters analyse the economics and politics of Qadhafis revolution offering insights into the man and his ideology as reflected in his Green Book. In the wake of the civil war and Qadhafis demise the time is ripe for an updated edition of the history which will cover the years from 2005 to the present. These were the years when Libya finally came in from the cold after years of political and economic isolation. The agreement to give up the weapons of mass destruction program paved the way for improved relations with the west. By this time though Qadhafi had lost the support of his people and despite attempts to liberalize the economy real structural reform proved impossible. This as Vandewalle contends in the foreword to the new edition coupled with tribal rivalries regional divisions and a general lack of unity paved the way for revolution and civil war. In an epilogue the author reflects upon Qadhafis premiership the Green Books stateless society and the legacy that he will leave behind.