Building an effective democratic solution for Libyans is no easy task. Over the course of a decade, the Libyan people toppled an authoritarian regime, became entangled in a brutal civil war, and endured what subsequently evolved into a proxy war among multiple foreign powers seeking to promote their own national interests.
Post-authoritarian, post-conflict, and post-intervention periods are always difficult to navigate, let alone when they come all at once. Such legacies foster mistrust and discord, risking sudden reversals back to instability. Of course, with an estimated 20,000 foreign troops still in Libya, decisively ending the proxy war is a goal yet to be attained. It is, however, worth considering the institutions and political mechanisms that could encourage society’s reunification and the country’s economic reconstruction, especially with a new draft constitution due before elections are meant to be held at the end of this year.
