The Global Dimension of the Libyan Crisis

Project Information

GLIBAL

Grant agreement ID: 101024021

DOI

10.3030/101024021

Project closed

EC signature date 1 April 2021

Start date 1 March 2022

End date 28 February 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 269 002,56

EU contribution

€ 269 002,56

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GLIBAL (The Global Dimension of the Libyan Crisis)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

GLIBAL – The Global Dimension of the Libyan Crisis aim is to provide a new reading of Libya’s ongoing war from a global perspective. Breaking with current interpretations that present the Libyan war because of historically self-inflicted and local problems, the project examines the war from a global perspective. It investigates how those processes that were central to the development of the US-led global capitalist order unfolded, shaped and were contested in the Libyan microcosm from 1969 to the present. The project will contribute to clarify the ways in which evolving global governance schemes are connected to the outbreak of conflicts in the Global South.

It is fundamental for society to understand the root cause of conflict in Libya, as this is going to provide the necessary analytical bases for crafting better policy tools on the side of the international community and the EU. There is a widespread conviction that the Libyan crisis developed due to internal problems and institutional fragilities, which exploded in the early months of 2011. However, considering the outbreak of major wars in our current historical moment (see Ukraine, Palestine), the project aims to inquire about the possible role that external actors, especially those belonging to the Western emisphere, might have had in contributing to the socio-economic and political crises that developed in Libya. The war in Libya is not only a problem related to the North African country; rather it has had important repercussions for European countries as well, such as the issue of migration. For all these reasons, the questions posed by this project can help society make better political choices, build a shared understanding of the problems affecting the South of the world, and consider the responsibilities that the EU has in solving and, at times, igniting such conflicts.

The overall objectives are to identify how the socio-economic and political transformation of Libya developed in relation to the international institutions and governance schemes that consolidated in the aftermath of WWII. The core idea is to rethink how Libya descended into a path of violence and chaos, and what role have international institutions and the Washington-consensus have had in shaping that path. To do so, the project requires an investigation of both Libyan and international sources, establishing a dialogical and dialectical relationship between the 'national' and 'international' spheres.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Building on my previous research, I have relied on extensive archival collection of data, which has allowed the project to meet the goal of centring the voices of the social actors in Libya vis-à-vis the global order. For example, I tapped into numerous and understudied archival sources located throughout various US universities, being able to reconstruct in-depth the intellectual production and economic policies of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in the early decades of the 1969 Revolution. Equally, my analysis of the data from has taken form through process-tracing and intellectual history, thus showing how the ideas changed and transformed at the same pace of the political-economic changes happening on the ground.
I have published a Special Issue on the question of Imperialism in the Middle East, which has gathered a lot of attention among the scholarly and non community. The exchanges have provided a more refined conceptual approach to undergo the process of data analysis and consolidation. In fact, during the final twelve months, I have completed the incoming phase at University of Venice ca’ Foscari. During this time, I had the chance to work on my future career options with Prof Matteo Legrenzi, while carrying archival research and interviews in Europe (London), Tunisia. During my field research in Tunis, some interviews were also completed on the current situation in Libya. Following up on the development of a thereotical framework required to understand the impact of imperialist policies on Libya, I published an article, titled: ‘Imperialist Terrorism in Northern Africa’ was published in Open Access Journal, Review of African Political Economy in 2025. Moreover, I have submitted another two articles, titled ‘Situating the oil contradiction at the global scale’ and ‘Reimagining IR through the anti-imperialist archives of the South of the World’, respectively to Review of African Political Economy and Politikon, which are currently under review. The exploration of theme of sanctions has further progressed, especially after the organization of two workshops during the outgoing phase, and I am currently guest-editing a special issue on the theme of economic warfare on Global South countries. The collection of articles will be submitted to the journal International Critical Thought, and it is expected to be published within 2025.
On a career level, I have obtained the National Scientific Qualification (ASN) required by the Italian academic system in the field of History of International Relations (14-B2), and I have now applied for the ASN in the field of Political Science (14-A2). I have received a preliminary contract for a monograph based on the research carried out for the project, and I am currently working on editing and revising some of the empirical chapters.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project has advanced the debate on the centrality of the political dynamics governing the global order (and its current momentous changes) and how they can determine and/or shape the national dynamics of countries of the Global South, especially the outbreak of conflicts. The research has also shown the critical importance of history when approaching the study of violence and conflict in the Global South, especially the region of the Middle East and North Africa. In this regard, one Special Issue has been published, and three articles have been published, two chapters are forthcoming, two more articles have been submitted, and another Special Issue is in the working. Based on the advance contract obtained with Syracuse University Press, I am now reworking the empirical chapters of the manuscript.
Beyond the mere academic and scientific results, the research has also major implications for society, as it highlights very clearly (and on the basis of extensive empirical data) the detrimental role that Western goverments have played in undermining the national sovereignty of Libya over the course of forty years. The over-reliance on and abuse of foreign military interventions and sanctions regimes--rather than diplomatic tools--indicate that Western governments, including the EU, can play a much more peaceful and constructive role in managing world affairs, as it appears so clearly from the study of history. The outbreak of conflicts and violence, which eventually leads to security and migration issues, can be avoided if foreign policy decisions based on violence are abandoned in favour of dialogue. The insights that the research project offers in relation to Libya can also be applicable to other countries of North AFrica, but also the constant invitations to podcasts and interviews show that such analyses are so much required today, especially considering world conflicts, like Palestine, where the role of the EU/NATO/Israel are often not interrogated enough.

Presenting research results at International Studies Association