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Militants in Libyan Politics a Militant Leadership Monitor Special Report Recovering from Several Decades of Gaddafi’S Rule

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Militants in Libyan Politics a Militant Leadership Monitor Special Report Recovering from Several Decades of Gaddafi’S Rule Election Issue: Militants in Libyan Politics A Militant Leadership Monitor Special Report Recovering From Several Decades of Gaddafi’s Rule Quarterly Special Report u July 2012 A Focus on the Role of Militants in Libyan Politics The Libyan PoLiTicaL LandscaPe: beTween LocaL FragmenTaTion and naTionaL democraTic ambiTions by dario cristiani ......................................................................................................................................2 emerging Leaders in Libya: jihadisTs resorTing To PoLiTics To creaTe an isLamic sTaTe by camille Tawil .......................................................................................................................................6 From miLiTia Leader To deFense minisTer: a biograPhicaL skeTch oF osama aL-juwaLi Belhadj: one of many militant leaders by dario cristiani .....................................................................................................................................9 who participated in the Libyan elections The ideoLogicaL inFLuence oF “The bLind sheikh” omar abdeL rahman on Libyan miLiTanTs Militant Leadership Monitor, the by michael w. s. ryan ...........................................................................................................................10 Jamestown Foundation’s premier subscription-based publication, The ZinTan miLiTia and The FragmenTed Libyan StaTe allows subscribers to access by dario cristiani ....................................................................................................................................13 unique biographies and insightful analyses about key militants and Libyan eLecTions: a TimeLine oF key evenTs leaders in countries around the by jacob Zenn..................................................................................................................................16 world. Introduction The opinions expressed within In the aftermath of the revolution and the overthrow of Moammar Gaddafi, Libya is undergoing tremendous are solely those of the authors and changes. On July 7, the oil-rich North African country held its first national election in over four decades, do not necessarily reflect those of however the emergence of regionally based militias continue to pose a threat to Libya’s stability. While the The Jamestown Foundation. Libyan people are united by their hunger for legitimacy, the country is rife with militant groups, each defending their own specific interests while some groups espouse militant views of the West. This Special Report includes articles from Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown’s Global Terrorism This special supplement to Militant Leadership Monitor known as the Quarterly Special Report (QSR) assesses Analysis publication. the changing role of jihadists and militants in Libya as the country experiences its first ever democratic elections. It also looks ahead at some of the key actors shaping the internal struggle for authority and legitimacy in post- Gaddafi Libya. Jamestown analysts – Dario Cristiani, Michael Ryan, and Camille Tawil – highlight some of the efforts and security challenges involved in the creation of a new political system in Libya and the ideological factors influencing Libyan militant groups and the former fighters now turned politicians vying for power as a result of the recent elections. Militant Leadership Monitor’s special QSR on Libya begins with Dario Cristiani’s analysis of the political and security landscape in Libya, and the fragmented society that has historically inhibited the effectiveness of a For comments or questions national government. Then Camille Tawil provides biographies of emerging leaders Abdel Hakim Belhadj, about our publications, please leader of al-Watan; Sami Al-Saadi, the leader of al-Umma; and Abdul Wahhab Qaid, a former leader of the send an email to Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). He analyzes their various political platforms and the consequences of if they gain seats in the new Libyan parliament, as well as his attitude. Mr. Tawil focuses on the significance of [email protected], or contact jihadists entering the political scene – it is revolutionary that the militants are seeking political means rather us at: than violence to effect the change they want to see. Following this analysis, Michael Ryan provides an up close look at Omar Abdel Rahman, “The Blind Sheik” currently incarcerated in the United States, whose ideological 1111 16th St. NW, Suite #320 influence is inspiring a new generation of militant jihadists in Libya. Next Dario Cristiani analyzes the rise of Washington, DC • 20036 militant groups in post- Gaddafi Libya with a portrait of the Zintan militia, and a biographical sketch of one of Tel: (202) 483-8888 its key leaders, Osama al-Juwali, who currently serves as Libyan Defense Minister. The QSR concludes with a Fax: (202) 483-8337 summary of key events that have transpired in Libya since the uprising began, leading up to the nation’s first elections. TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MILITANT LEADERSHIP MONITOR, VISIT mlm.jamestown.org Militant Leadership Monitor Quarterly special report u July 2012 The Libyan Political Landscape: struggling to emerge as the sole holder of legitimate force and whose legitimacy is undermined by the rising popular Between Local Fragmentation and perception that it is a secretive and opaque body, which manages oil revenues and the country’s wealth along tribal, National Democratic Ambitions family and patronage lines. Dario Cristiani The following analysis will focus on providing a picture of the current political landscape of the country, explaining July 7, 2012 has become an historical date for Libya: it was why dynamics of local fragmentation have emerged so the day of the first national elections of its history, with strongly in the aftermath of the revolution. After analyzing 3,707 candidates running in 72 districts nationwide. These the roots of Libyan ontological fragmentations as settled elections formally signal the start of a new era in Libya. through centuries of lack of central authorities, socio- Whether this event will also signal the dawn of a transition cultural isolation and poor interaction of its people, the the to a more substantive and stable political and security system ongoing situation in the West, the East and the South of the remains to be seen. Dozens of political parties emerged in country will be explored, highlighting the militias, factions, Libya to compete in the elections, although only a few parties groups, and tribes that matter in the current Libyan context. were able to present candidates in all the constituencies, such as the Libyan branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Justice Libyan Cleavages: A History of Fragmentation and Development Party; the Homeland Party of Belhadj, The National Front, heir of a well known opposition group to In itself, Libya has several scales and typologies of cleavages, Gaddafi during his rule; the National Centrist Party; and the ranging from cultural habits to social identities, political National Forces Alliance, a coalition of parties lead by former loyalties to ethnic identification, rural feelings to urbanized Prime Minister of the NTC Mahmoud Jibril. The electoral dynamics, and from desert to coastal vivacity. Libya, as known commission quoted preliminary figures: that the number of today, was established on December, 24 1951, and consists of voters was approximately 1.6 million, about 60% of voters three main areas: the eastern Cyrenaica, known in Arabic as (AFP, July 8). Although the official results will not be known Barqah; the western Tripolitania and the internal Fezzan. until five days after the election according to the UN envoy These three geographical regions present distinct and peculiar to the country Ian Martina, early reports suggest the alliance geo-cultural identities and geo-political orientations, as their lead by Jibril performed particularly well, while the Islamist history was largely characterized by separateness rather than parties performed worse than expected (Al Jazeera, July 8). interaction, exacerbated by the physical characteristics of the Libyan geographical landscape. Although physical geography The situation in Libya in the days approaching the elections does not mechanically determine social, political and was characterized by mixed feelings: on one side, people were economic dynamics, it nevertheless plays a fundamental role excited to vote for the first time in their lives. Many Libyans in shaping specific paths of historical development. There are have known only the Jamahiriya (the political system enormous distances of severe desert environment dividing created by Gaddafi) and Gaddafi during their lives, and these regions – over 90% of Libya’s territory is desert; the therefore this occasion was indisputably a major “life event” poor and loose infrastructural network of roads and the lack for almost the entire population. Many Libyans recall that of suitable means of transportation have favoured, during the the bloody revolution leading to the overthrow of Gaddafi centuries, the emergence of distinct geo-cultural identities was fought essentially to provide them with more effective and self-sufficient, isolated and non-integrated economies opportunities for political participation. Accordingly, there with their own peculiar geopolitical orientations. was widespread enthusiasm to cast ballots. The three regions in Libya are distinct from a geo-cultural However, opposite the popular enthusiasm for the electoral point
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