Libya is 1.5 times larger than Turkey in terms of geographical area. However, Libya’s population is known tobe 5 million. It should be noted that, because the country is entirely desert, its relations with other nations are limited. When examining the country’s history, we must consider itsperiod under Ottoman rule. Due to its geographical proximityto Europe, ships carrying slave traders from Africa used Libya as a stopover. However, because Libya lacked sufficientpower, it sought to come under the protection of the OttomanEmpire. For this reason, the country was incorporated into theOttoman Empire as a garrison. Furthermore, the OttomanEmpire named the region Tripoli in 1553. Furthermore, although it made Libya its center, it did not focus on internalmatters. It should be noted that the Ottoman Empire utilizedthe geographical advantage stemming from Libya’s status as a port city to serve its own political, economic, and militaryinterests, thereby securing a significant advantage in theinternational arena for a long time. Because the OttomanEmpire established a strong Mediterranean hegemony thatincluded Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. We must point out thatLibya was the last African territory the Ottoman Empire lost. However, the Committee of Union and Progress reached an agreement with Sheikh Sanusi and sent military aid to Libya to help it resist the Italian occupation. We must note that theforces sent to this country for military aid continued the waruntil 1918—despite a peace treaty with the Italians in 1912—thereby keeping Italian forces confined to the coast. For thisreason, the Libyan people’s trust in the Turks grew evenstronger. Consequently, Sheikh Sunusi provided militarysupport to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s forces.
It should be noted that Libya remained under Italian rulefor a long time. In the 1930s, Sheikh Sunusi, who rebelledagainst the government, wrote a letter to Atatürk. However, in 1951, Libya gained its independence under the leadership of Sheikh Idris. We must state that Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi rose through the ranks of the new leadership in Libya. In 1969, he seized control of the government by staging a coup against King Idris. It should be noted that whenexamining Libya’s ethnic composition, we see that the countryconsists of two distinct ethnic groups. The first of these ethnicgroups consists of Arabs who migrated from Egypt to Libya; the second consists of Berbers who lived in the desert regionsof Morocco. It should be noted that Gaddafi promoted theparticipation of women in social life within the Arab world. For this reason, he ensured the education of women. Womenmake up 60% of the student body at the University of Libya’sFaculty of Medicine. In addition, there were female soldiers in the Libyan army. He also made changes to the systemgoverning the teaching and instruction of the Islamic calendarand the Quran. Consequently, these changes divided the Arabworld. It should be noted that Gaddafi, drawing on his powerwithin his own tribe, appointed all members of his tribe toserve as police officers. As oil revenues increased, he beganproviding a monthly stipend to every family. Furthermore, Gaddafi told his people, “You are superior to others.” However, adaptation issues arose during the transition tomodern life in this country. This was because he sought toprevent the people from becoming enlightened and blockedaccess by banning the viewing of foreign channels. We muststate that, despite Gaddafi’s efforts to unite the Arab world, he was unsuccessful in this regard. The reason for this failure is that the United Kingdom holds influence in the political, economic, and military spheres of the Arab world. We mustpoint out that because Gaddafi fragmented the Arab world, theU.S. wanted him to maintain his presence in the region. Let us note that the U.S. Embassy was opened in Libya becauseLibya sought to become a leader in Africa. For this reason, Libya provided financial aid to African leaders. We must statethat the reason for the Arab Spring was that Gaddafi had losthis importance from the U.S. perspective. The revolutionoccurred because Libya lacked a productive social structureand its consumer-oriented structure had grown. Gaddafi wasthe sole power in Libya. He implemented the decisions he made on his own. Furthermore, he attempted to rule the world. Let us note immediately that Gaddafi sought to benefit fromTurkey’s military power. We must point out that Turkeytransitioned to democracy. However, due to its geographicalstructure, Libya remained a country closed off to externalinfluences and could not transition to democracy. Thissituation will manifest differently in Tunisia and Egypt.
In Libya, a civil war broke out following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in 2011. As a result, as thecivil war has continued, a political landscape has emerged in the country characterized by two distinct ideologies.
Accordingly, scientific data from the World HealthOrganization (WHO), a United Nations (UN) agency, it is reported that thousands of citizens have been killed in Libya as a result of the ongoing conflicts there, although the exactnumber has not been officially disclosed.
Another aspect of this situation is explained by theemergence of the international migration crisis. According toUnited Nations data, it is reported that tens of thousands of Libyan citizens have been forced to leave their country.
Despite the United Nations’ strong statements—which it has prioritized and which have garnered support from theinternational community—calling for an immediate end to thecivil war, the conflict continues. In other words, the parties tothe civil war in Libya are not heeding these statements.
A political structure has emerged in this country thatembraces two distinct ideologies. The major popular uprising, dubbed the “Arab Spring” by Bernard Lewis, turned into a rebellion against the Gaddafi government in Libya, just as it did in other Arab countries. Since 2011, when MuammarGaddafi’s political regime was overthrown, the political orderin Libya has completely collapsed. It has been replaced by a failed state in political, economic, and military terms. This is because, politically, there are political groups in Libya thatembrace two distinct ideologies. For this reason, it is not possible to act in Libya around a common national interest. Consequently, a coherent policy cannot be formed. Economically, despite the country’s abundance of energyresources, these resources cannot be utilized. Consequently, this is harming the economic national interests of the Libyanpeople. This is because Libyan citizens are struggling withpoverty. Militarily, due to the ongoing civil war, the safety of Libyan citizens cannot be guaranteed. A large number of people are being killed or injured.
Following the 2014 elections, political groups embracingtwo distinct ideologies have emerged in Libya. One of theseis the House of Representatives, which controls the easternpart of the country, including Tobruk near the Egyptianborder. The other political entity is the Government of National Accord, which controls Tripoli.
However, in this country, where the terrorist organizationISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) began to gain a footholdin 2015, it has been reported that members of the terroristorganization took control of the city of Sirte, the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi. However, the Misrata-based forces, whichare alleged to have received military support from Turkey, drove the terrorist organization known as ISIS out of the cityin 2015.
The Libyan crisis is both a global and a regional issue. Thisis because, in the civil war unfolding in Libya, statespossessing global and regional power are providing political, economic, and military support to certain political groups in order to protect their national interests in the political, economic, and military spheres of that country. These statesare waging a proxy war in Libya. This is because these statesseek, politically, to ensure that a government aligned withtheir national interests governs Libya and to establish goodrelations with that government and advance negotiations; economically, to operate Libya’s oil resources and exportthem to other countries; and militarily, to control the militarypower in this region in order to exert influence over theMiddle East and Mediterranean regions. These objectives areas follows.
The Government of National Accord, headquartered in Tripoli, is recognized as legitimate and supported by theUnited Nations, Turkey, the European Union, and other majorinternational organizations.
The House of Representatives, which is under the control of forces loyal to Haftar—who holds the city of Tobruk—is supported by Egypt, the United States, the United ArabEmirates, Saudi Arabia, France, and Russia on political, economic, and military matters.
There are several powerful military groups in Libya. Armed clashes are taking place between these groups. Thesemilitary groups are as follows.
In Libya, a country with a population of 6.5 million thatborders the Mediterranean Sea and possesses vast oil reserves, more than a hundred armed groups have emerged and steppedup their activities following the overthrow of MuammarGaddafi’s government.
The political groups that are more influential in this countrycompared to other groups are as follows.
• Armed military units affiliated with the Tripoli-basedGovernment of National Accord (GNA).
• Forces controlling the Misrata area, which made the greatestcontribution to the overthrow of Gaddafi’s government.
• The Libyan National Army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, which controls Tobruk and receives political, economic, andmilitary support from Gulf countries and Egypt.
• Forces based in Zintan that control the region in the west of the country, near the Tunisian border.
• Haftar’s forces and the GNA are engaged in clashes on multiple fronts.
• Haftar’s forces, which launched an offensive to captureTripoli, have been losing ground across all regions in theintervening period, while GNA-affiliated units have begun a counteroffensive.
• In the regions of Ayn Zara, Halletul Fercan, Kasr bin Gashir, Wadi er-Rabi, El-Matar el-Kadim, Es-Sevani, and El-Aziziye, GNA forces and forces loyal to Haftar have continued armedattacks based on hit-and–run tactics.
• Meanwhile, Ahmed el-Mismari, a spokesperson for forcesloyal to Hafter, announced that an eighth front would be opened against GNA forces in the coming days.
• Western forces loyal to the GNA, led by Major General Usama Juwayli, have taken control of the command center of the Fourth Brigade in the Aziziye region following thecounteroffensive they launched. Fighting continues in thisarea.
With these groups resuming hostilities in 2025, Libya’sstability has once again been jeopardized. The lack of a stablepolitical structure is the primary cause of this situation. In2026, a strong political framework cannot be established dueto the failure to reach an agreement between political factionsin Libya that adhere to two distinct ideologies.
Libya’s geographical structure and the authoritarian ruleof Muammar Gaddafi initially led to a period of relativestability. Although the impact of the Arab Spring was feltbelatedly, it manifested itself in the political, economic, military, and cultural spheres of a country like Libya, whichhad been largely isolated from external influences. As a result, on March 18, 2011, the Gaddafi regime was overthrownfollowing the civil war in Libya and subsequent UN intervention. The Libyan issue is both a global and a regionalproblem. This is because, in the civil war that has beenongoing in Libya since 2011, states possessing global andregional power have been providing political, economic, andmilitary support to certain political groups in order to protecttheir national interests in the political, economic, and militaryspheres of the country. These states are waging a proxy war in Libya. Politically, they seek to ensure that a governmentaligned with their national interests governs Libya, establishgood relations with that government, and advancenegotiations; economically, they aim to operate Libya’s oilresources and export them to other countries; and militarily, they seek to control the military power in the region to exertinfluence over the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
OĞUZ TANER HACIFAZLIOĞLU
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS EXPERT
