Peace for Libya, just without Libyans.
The Libyan conflict reflects various complex layers of hostility and antagonism, starting from intra-tribal and city clashes up to proxy wars encompassing various global and regional players. Global and regional actors met at the Berlin Conference and recognised that the solution had to be ‘a Libyan solution’. There were no Libyans at the table. Was Berlin a strategic move that united regional powers competing for influence in the conflict-ridden country? Perhaps. Was it another projection of a euro/western-centric world order that continues to alienate and overstep local communities, with the hope of strengthening their influence in the region? More likely.
Between the ‘us’ and ‘them’: Reflections on Janzouri Social Order
“Reality is constructed through the lived experiences of individuals. Understanding how an individual navigates through the world is a lot about understanding how they perceive the world and the lens through which they make sense of it. It is also what defines what they believe to be right and wrong and how their morality is forged and challenged. We live in a world where various parallel realities exist in the same physical space. The official narrative put forward by the state does not necessarily reflect the reality experienced by the citizens. This is very much the case in countries where a gap exists between the state and its citizens. Citizens experience a reality through which they interact with the state and another through which they interact with each other. When both realities clash, a glitch in the social order occurs.”
Rethinking Society and Governance 