Informal Power as a Tool of Authoritarian Regimes: The Case of Libya

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International Relations (MA)

Iwema, Stanley (2015)

Informal Power as a Tool of Authoritarian Regimes: The Case of Libya

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

This thesis explores the durability of Libya's authoritarianism before and during the Arab Spring. By using a conceptual framework on Arab authoritarianism, this thesis argues that Gaddafi's system of governance survived for 42 years due to the structure of the state, its economic and foreign policies, and its claims on various forms of nondemocratic legitimacy. The argument is that these elements of Libya's governance resulted in a situation whereby the regime initially was able to withstand mass protests, but that the regime's actions also led to the military intervention that played an important role in the downfall of the regime.

Arab authoritarianism

Libyan civil war

Arab Spring

nondemocratic legitimacy

regime change

Middle East