European efforts

Andreas Dittmann is a professor of human geography at the University of Giessen. The Libya expert has visited the country on a regular basis over the past 32 years, and met leader Moammar Gadhafi on several occasions.

DW: Libyans lived under Gadhafi's tyranny for over 40 years. One year after the uprising against Gadhafi began, have there also been any positive developments in Libya?

Andreas Dittmann: Yes, the conditions for the development of Libya's future are actually remarkably good. They are basically made up of three factors. For one, there are plenty of resources, most notably oil. These oil reserves will last for at least another 65 or even 70 years. Also, Libya has a relatively small total population. So there is a small population with very many resources and a lot of money - money that is stashed in various foreign bank accounts. The third factor is the atmosphere, the sense of hope, which exists in the country after over 40 years of dictatorship - especially with young people, who make up for over 50 percent of the population. This atmosphere could lead to new horizons, new developments.

Could a political class develop which makes use of these huge resources available not only for favoritism or for its own purposes, but rather also for the good of the country?

Yes, elections are currently being prepared in order to achieve the necessary parliamentary control mechanisms for precisely this reason. Libya unfortunately experienced twice in the past that the ruling class put the oil proceeds into the pockets of their own clientele.First it was the royal family the British put into power following Libya's independence. Then in later years, it was the Gadhafi family. From 1969, Gadhafi put a large amount of the country's proceeds into rural development and built up a lot. Many young Libyans are not aware of this.

Are there things which Gadhafi attempted to develop in the early years that could now be activated to rebuild the country?

Yes. In theory, the Gadhafi regime's early grassroots democratic approach would be a starting point. This approach envisaged that all decisions with far-reaching consequences be made by everyone. Gadhafi explained how this functions in the theory he developed, the so-called third universal theory. It intended to present a middle road between capitalism on the one side and socialism on the other. But even if this idea was in principle democratic, it was completely pushed into the background in the final Gadhafi years. There were de facto no decisions made that were not Gadhafi's decision. But any return to these structures would be considered negative in Libya and interpreted as "Gadhafi's return!"

There have been reports now and again about the introduction of Islamic law, the Sharia. How far does the influence of religious groups go?

You have to differentiate somewhat here. As opposed to Egypt, there was no notion at all how strong the Islamic and Islamist groups were under Gadhafi. Compared to Egypt, they were strictly banned and were always a manifold threat for Gadhafi's power. So you can't fall back on the experience with the Muslim Brotherhood, like in Egypt. In Libya, there is in fact no census on this. The corresponding groups, who expressed Islamist beliefs either had to leave the country under Gadhafi, were arrested or even killed.

Many members of the elite also went abroad. Are there people among them who would return to Libya in this phase of change who would be willing under difficult conditions to give up the advantages of living in exile to help rebuild Libya?

This is precisely what the country needs now. But I fear that the same effect we saw with Afghans living in exile will set in. After the Taliban regime was crushed in Afghanistan, many Afghans living in exile wanted to return home as quickly as possible and help rebuild the country. Many of them did in fact return home, but saw how horrible it still was in Afghanistan and immediately left again. Precisely this danger exists when you talk about the advantages of living in exile compared to the difficult Libyan reality and it could prevent a lot of exiles from returning. Nonetheless, there are several influential people, especially from the various opposition groups. But it remains to be seen just how much they will place their patriotic feelings above their personal well-being.

Do you think it would be possible to develop a new way of thinking through the education system and leave 40 years of dictatorship behind?

This is precisely the point. A fundamental reform of the Libyan education system is more important than economic stimulus programs, military alliances or oil export agreements. It starts in the schools and goes all the way to the universities. It is one of the six important main tasks at hand right now. The top point is elections. The second is that the police force be reinstated across the country so that not militia but rather governmental organs ensure peace and security. Third, a disarming program is necessary and fourth, I would say most certainly the development of the education system. The fifth and sixth tasks are utilizing the current situation - a lot of money and a small population. In 50 to 60 years, there will be an energy problem in Libya. So time and money need to be used now to concentrate either on renewable or nuclear energy generation over the next five decades. At that time, there will be no more oil.

What can Europe do to support Libya in its reconstruction efforts?

As opposed to other reconstruction programs, Libya is not a country that requires European or German funds. Rather, they need the know-how. There needs to be sensible advice in realizing the paths outlined above. Germany has to do more to ensure that Europe speaks with one voice in Libya. On a military level, there was relatively common action taken, even if some countries participated more than others. But on a political level, it couldn't be any more different. There are again and again Europeans who are pursuing their own national interests economically and are not speaking with one common European voice. That would be very important right now. The Libyans are of course overwhelmed by the decision which of the many consultants coming to the country are the ones who want to truly achieve long-term good for the country and which ones are just in it for the business.

Interview: Lewis Gropp / sac
Editor: Rob Mudge