Talking about Libya

Topic of the day is Libya; what to do, what not and some note about an evolving situation. Be warned, the politically correctness has been banned here. So, if you are living in a fairy tale world this is the right time to get lost.

Why all the fuss about this country? What does change in the last few days? Two magic words: media attention. The focus is about IS (*) activities in Libya and the Grand Guignol show they put up with mass execution of prisoners and the usual propaganda against the Western countries. They’re good with the media and they know how to play games in the ‘net, so finally the world discovers that Libya is a failed state. Well, thank you for coming my dear journalist but this party is already up and running since the fall of the late dictator, Colonel Muammar Gheddafi.

At the very beginning of this post you find the map of Libya. Now, please pay attention to a few factors. Firstly, all the towns are located near the Mediterranean Sea. So, it’s easy to say that if you control the shores of Libya then you control most of the country. Second, the national frontiers are with other problematic countries (Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, Tunisia) who already got their hands full with internal problems and have little or none resources to spare to be used against Libya. Third, the vast desert lands in the south are a no-boundaries zone – perfect for any kind of smuggling operation you may imagine.

Now, take a look at this map.

The Red Line

In the last few years we’re witnessing a new phase in the phenomenon of Jihaidism, the shift from terrorist organizations to the embryos of new states. There was a precedent, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan held by the Taliban between 1996 and 2001. A number of small and not-so-small group tried to stage up coup d’etat in various countries in Africa and Asia. In my opinion, there is a red line that connect the various “islamic” states, nowadays under the resonant label “caliphate”.

There’s a difference between the words “emirate” and “caliphate”. It’s not a simple semiotic matter. When we talk about an emirate we’re referring to a state ruled by a central authority, named emir, and that implies a dynasty, a succession of power based on a bloodline. Think about Saudi Arabia, it’s a good example. On the other hand a caliphate implies a leadership that is both political and religious, the caliph claims a direct descendent from the prophet Muhammad, imposing the full weight of religion on its population.