In a speech via satellite link to an audience of US and Libyan scholars and policy analysts gathe... more In a speech via satellite link to an audience of US and Libyan scholars and policy analysts gathered at SIPA the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University in New York the Guide of the Libyan Revolu tion, the Colonel al-Qadd fi, stated "There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet". He claimed that Libya is the only real democracy in the world and that the American political system is a failure. In Libya, he said, "everything is open for discussion" and its political system "is superior to farci cal and fake parliamentary and representative democracies in the West". Far from commenting on the ^-Qaddafi's speech or on the allegations re ferring to conference's co-sponsorship by the Libyan Government through the Green Book Centre and the al-Fatah University which appeared in the inter national press in the aftermath, this essay intends to critically review the evolu tion of the political process towards a possible democratic development in the Libyan Gam hiriyyah. Before starting a brief profile of the evolution of State and its Institutions in Libya, we would like to provide readers for the sake of our work with a defi nition of democracy. In its Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, Joseph Schum peter defines democracy as "the institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a com petitive struggle for the people's vote"1 and democracy is the form of govern ment that meets the following criteria: " 1. Free and periodic competition between at least two candidates occurs for all effective decision-making positions. The end result is a peaceful transition of government. 2. A high degree of political participation in the election of leaders exists. The entire adult population is allowed to participate in elections; suffrage is uni versal.
Muslims in Italy are now a consistent, although not new, phenomenon in the social and political p... more Muslims in Italy are now a consistent, although not new, phenomenon in the social and political panorama of the country. Like other communities, they are in search of an agreement with the state that would allow them to live and prosper within a legal framework that guarantees rights and duties. Unfortunately, attempts at achieving such an agreement have come up against a wall of prejudice and fear from the Italian population, as well as a lack of courage and foresight on the part of Italian state institutions. The problems and difficulties associated with the struggle of Italian Muslims in reaching an intesa are outlined and analytically presented along with a discussion of how integration may lead to the type of pluralism and tolerance enshrined in the Italian constitution.
Since 2011 the Libyan crisis has moved from being a domestic dispute to assuming increasing impor... more Since 2011 the Libyan crisis has moved from being a domestic dispute to assuming increasing importance at the international level. Today it represents a crucial issue affecting global security. The intervention of external actors in the Libyan crisis was mainly driven by a desire to direct the transition towards outcomes that would best meet their own political and economic interests. Accordingly, each external player tried to support one specific faction, favoring either the Parliament in Tobruk, upheld by Khalifa Haftar, or the Presidential Council headed by Fayez al-Serraj in Tripoli, the latter being legitimized by the UN as well as by local militias in both Misrata and Tripoli. This report analyzes the troublesome re-building of Libya with a focus on the specific role played by international actors (neighboring and Gulf countries, European nations, Russia and the US) which make it more of an international rather than a domestic issue.
Journal of Middle Eastern Geopolitics, Jul 21, 2006
Many articles have been written and studies produced on the policies of great powers in the Middl... more Many articles have been written and studies produced on the policies of great powers in the Middle East, unfortunately, very little attention has been played, so far, to the developments of a Middle Eastern policy by a powerful but relatively new actor in the international arena: China. This article is a first attempt to cover this gap in literature by providing an overview of the economic and political motives and reasons for the emergence of a more present and active Chinese policy toward the main actors of the Middle East and the potential conflicts that might ensue from the possible confrontation with the United States and its energy and security policy.
... It made him very, very popular among his countrymen. Finally, Amr Moussa has not been associa... more ... It made him very, very popular among his countrymen. Finally, Amr Moussa has not been associated with the regime for the last decade, leaving him free of accusations of corruption. ...BASSAM HADDAD, Director, Middle East Studies Program, George Mason University. ...
In a speech via satellite link to an audience of US and Libyan scholars and policy analysts gathe... more In a speech via satellite link to an audience of US and Libyan scholars and policy analysts gathered at SIPA the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University in New York the Guide of the Libyan Revolu tion, the Colonel al-Qadd fi, stated "There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet". He claimed that Libya is the only real democracy in the world and that the American political system is a failure. In Libya, he said, "everything is open for discussion" and its political system "is superior to farci cal and fake parliamentary and representative democracies in the West". Far from commenting on the ^-Qaddafi's speech or on the allegations re ferring to conference's co-sponsorship by the Libyan Government through the Green Book Centre and the al-Fatah University which appeared in the inter national press in the aftermath, this essay intends to critically review the evolu tion of the political process towards a possible democratic development in the Libyan Gam hiriyyah. Before starting a brief profile of the evolution of State and its Institutions in Libya, we would like to provide readers for the sake of our work with a defi nition of democracy. In its Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, Joseph Schum peter defines democracy as "the institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a com petitive struggle for the people's vote"1 and democracy is the form of govern ment that meets the following criteria: " 1. Free and periodic competition between at least two candidates occurs for all effective decision-making positions. The end result is a peaceful transition of government. 2. A high degree of political participation in the election of leaders exists. The entire adult population is allowed to participate in elections; suffrage is uni versal.
Muslims in Italy are now a consistent, although not new, phenomenon in the social and political p... more Muslims in Italy are now a consistent, although not new, phenomenon in the social and political panorama of the country. Like other communities, they are in search of an agreement with the state that would allow them to live and prosper within a legal framework that guarantees rights and duties. Unfortunately, attempts at achieving such an agreement have come up against a wall of prejudice and fear from the Italian population, as well as a lack of courage and foresight on the part of Italian state institutions. The problems and difficulties associated with the struggle of Italian Muslims in reaching an intesa are outlined and analytically presented along with a discussion of how integration may lead to the type of pluralism and tolerance enshrined in the Italian constitution.
Since 2011 the Libyan crisis has moved from being a domestic dispute to assuming increasing impor... more Since 2011 the Libyan crisis has moved from being a domestic dispute to assuming increasing importance at the international level. Today it represents a crucial issue affecting global security. The intervention of external actors in the Libyan crisis was mainly driven by a desire to direct the transition towards outcomes that would best meet their own political and economic interests. Accordingly, each external player tried to support one specific faction, favoring either the Parliament in Tobruk, upheld by Khalifa Haftar, or the Presidential Council headed by Fayez al-Serraj in Tripoli, the latter being legitimized by the UN as well as by local militias in both Misrata and Tripoli. This report analyzes the troublesome re-building of Libya with a focus on the specific role played by international actors (neighboring and Gulf countries, European nations, Russia and the US) which make it more of an international rather than a domestic issue.
Journal of Middle Eastern Geopolitics, Jul 21, 2006
Many articles have been written and studies produced on the policies of great powers in the Middl... more Many articles have been written and studies produced on the policies of great powers in the Middle East, unfortunately, very little attention has been played, so far, to the developments of a Middle Eastern policy by a powerful but relatively new actor in the international arena: China. This article is a first attempt to cover this gap in literature by providing an overview of the economic and political motives and reasons for the emergence of a more present and active Chinese policy toward the main actors of the Middle East and the potential conflicts that might ensue from the possible confrontation with the United States and its energy and security policy.
... It made him very, very popular among his countrymen. Finally, Amr Moussa has not been associa... more ... It made him very, very popular among his countrymen. Finally, Amr Moussa has not been associated with the regime for the last decade, leaving him free of accusations of corruption. ...BASSAM HADDAD, Director, Middle East Studies Program, George Mason University. ...
Uploads
Papers by Karim Mezran