The Libyan Paradox

Luis Martinez's The Libyan Paradox focuses on the reintegration of Libya into the international economic and political system beginning in the late 1980s and culminating in the lifting of U.N. sanctions in 2003. Despite economic liberalization and greater international recognition, Libya remained a corrupt oligarchy without a developed civil society. Martinez examines this paradox and explains the persistence of Gaddafi’s authoritarianism in the face of Libyan realignment. He focuses his analysis on the entrenched security apparatus and the oil economy which allow Libya’s ruling regime to retain its grip on power even as Libya opened its borders and privatized industry. Martinez argues that Libya’s cooperation in the U.S “war on terror” does not signal greater openness or democratic transition in Libya, but rather reflects the flexibility and adaptability of the Gaddafi regime in the face of shifting geopolitics.