Libya-Group+B

 ( [|www.cia.gov] ,)
 * Part I-A Look at the Nation**

**Demographics** __ **What is the median age of Libya**? __
 * The median age of Libya's people is 25.5 years old.

__**How many males and females are there?**__
 * The total population's ratio of males over females is 1.05

__**What is the race and ethnicity of Libya?**__
 * The race and ethnicity of Libya's people are ethnic arabs and berbers

__**What is the main religion of Libya?**__
 * The main religion of the Libyan's is Sunni Muslims

**Geography**

__**What is Libya's geography like?**__
 * Libya is located in Northern Africa and borders the meditarian sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
 * It is a little larger than Alaska
 * Altough it has the Meditarean bordering along the coat, it has extreme deserts and is very dry
 * Its land is barren which means it has sandy soil, that would contain only a few trees and it is very infertile
 * It is mostly desertified so it has a scarce amount of water recourses and because of this a river is being flowed into cities with no water.
 * More than 90% of Libya is desert

**Economic Recourses**


 * __What are Libya's Economic Resources__?**
 * Petroleum
 * Natural Gas
 * Gypsum
 * Oil

__**Imports**__
 * Machinery
 * Semi-finished goods
 * Food
 * Transport equipment
 * Consumer products


 * __Exports__**
 * Crude oil
 * Refined petroleum products
 * Natural gas
 * Chemicals

__**What is the political structure of Libya?**__
 * __What are Libya's typical Jobs?__**
 * In the field of electronics
 * Engineering
 * Computing
 * Oil workers
 * Labourers
 * Political Structure **
 * Jamahiriya is a type of government that is used in Libya
 * It is governed through local councils
 * These local councils make decisions when necessary

__**Who can vote in Libya?**__
 * Anyone over the age of 18 can vote in Libya

__**How often are elections Held?**__
 * National elections are indirect through hierarchy of people's committees


 * Part II-Timeline**
 * [[image:timelines.jpg width="1040" height="444"]] ||

**1. Meets five purposes **- Libya does pass this portion of the legitimacy test because their government meets most of the 5 purposes of government. The Libyan government meets a total of 4 out of 5 purposes of government and that's good enough to be considered worthy of passing this section. The purpose that Libya doesn't fulfill is protection because even though there are many rights that are being protected, there are many more things that people are concerned about such as women's rights. **2.** ** Long existence ** - Libya's government does meet this section because the leader of Libya is Muammar al-Gaddafi and he has been in power since 1969. Their government leader has been in power for 42 years now and to be considered legitimate in this area, the government only has to exist for at least 5 years.  **3.** ** Symbols ** **-** Libya meets this section also because Libya has many symbols for its country including the flag, Alahu Akbar (anthem), and the coat of arms.
 * Part III-Legitimacy and the Current Leader & Government**
 * __ ** Legitimacy ** __

=
-Flag: The flag of Libya has 3 stripes on it going horizontally with red being on the top, black in the middle and green last. In the center of the black stripe, there is a white crescent with a smaller white star to the left of it. ======

-Anthem: The anthem of Libya is called Allahu Akbar and in English translates to God is Great. The anthem was originally an Egyptian marching song. It was adopted on September 1st in 1969 when Muammar al-Gaddafi became the leader.

-Coat of Arms: The coat of arms was adopted in 1977. It features a bird known as the Hawk of Quraish. This is an emblem of the Prohphet Muhammad's tribe. In its talons, the bird carried a banner that says in Arabic sript "Federation of Arab Republics." The Libyan coat of arms features a green shield on the chest of the bird. The green repr esents the Green Revolution of Colonel Gaddafi, as well as the cloack of Muhammad. **4.** ** Representation ** **-** Libya does not meet this section. Libya doesn't have a representation because Libya's government is a dictatorship and is only ruled by Muammar al-Gaddafi.People have no say in their government and they aren't being represented. Since the government is a dictatorship and not a democracy, people have no voting rights and cannot elect whom they choose. The dictator, Gaddafi, is overlooking the people's cries and aren't listening to the changes they want.

=__** The 5 purposes of Government **__= (1 being best and 5 being the worst) But according to [|www.amnestyusa.org], there are also many issues concerning people's rights. Some of the human right concerns in Libya currently include:
 * Is Libya considered a legitimate country? No. To be considered legitimate, the country has to pass all 4 parts of the test. In this case, Libya only meets 3 out of the 4. They do not meet the representation part which is the only one that they need to fulfill in order to be considered legitimate. **
 * ** __[[image:NO.png width="68" height="46"]]Protection:Rank #3__ **Protection is all about protecting people's natural, legal, and personal rights. People should be able to have all the freedoms and rights that everyone else has and for that to happen, there needs to be laws that ensure citizens' rights are in fact being protected. There are many rights in Libya that are being protected such as:
 * Law on Protection of Women’s Right to Inheritance
 * Law on Women’s Rights in Marriage and Divorce
 * Family Law
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Law forming committee to Islamize Libyan legislation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Law on Offences against Property
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Law on Sexual Offences
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Law on Prohibition (relating to alcohol consumption)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Law on Homicide
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Freedom of press ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Freedom of expression ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Ill treatment and detention of refugees ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">asylum-seekers and migrants ======
 * ======<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">discrimination against women ======


 * **__ [[image:YES.png width="58" height="43"]] Keep Order:Rank #2__** The country of Libya in fact does have many laws that are made for people to follow and these rules are enforced through a document called the Libyan Constitution. This constitution was brought into force on October 7th in the year 1951, announcing its formal declaration of its independence on December 21st in the same year.The Libyan constitution was really important because it was the first legal document giving citizens rights that were actually written down and official. The first chapter of the constitution- The Form of the State and the System of Government includes articles 1-7 and Chapter II-Rights of the People includes articles 8-35. The first few articles in Chapter I state that:
 * Article 1: Libya is a free independent sovereign State. Neither its sovereignty nor any part of its territories may be relinquished.
 * Article 2: Libya is a free independent sovereign State. Neither its sovereignty nor any part of its territories may be relinquished.
 * Article 3: The Kingdom of Libya is a part of the Arab Home-Land and a portion of the African Continent.
 * Article 4: The boundaries of the Kingdom of Libya are:-
 * On the North, the Mediterranean Sea;
 * On the East, the United Arab Republic and the Republic of Sudan;
 * On the South, the Republic of Sudan, Chadm Niger and Algeria;
 * On the West, the Republics of Tunisia and Algeria.
 * Article 5: Islam is the religion of the State.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;"> After the Revolution, Gaddafi got rid of the dual system in 1973, combining the civil and shari’a court together. Civil courts now use shari ’a judges (once constituted workers of the Shari’a Court of Appeals) who sit in regular courts of appeal and specialize in shari’a appellate cases. ([|http://www.law.emory.edu]) The Supreme court has 5 chambers: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Some of the few of many museums that are found in Libya are:
 * **__[[image:YES.png width="58" height="43"]]Solve Conflict: Rank #1__**<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Before the 1969 constitution, Libya had a double system of civil and religious courts. The new constitution recognized the dominance of Shari'a (Islamic laws) unifying the two systems.([|http://jurist.law.pitt.edu] ) Civil laws now must obey the rules to Shari'a. The Libyan co[[image:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-07/12/xin_1107041200596731991021.jpg width="292" height="181" align="right" caption="Libya's Supreme Court"]]urt system consists of four levels:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Summary courts
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Courts of first instance
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Appeal courts
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Supreme Court.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Civil and commercial
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Criminal
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Administrative
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Constitutional
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Shari’a
 * ** __[[image:YES.png width="62" height="45"]]Good Economy: Rank #2__ **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">According to [|www.cia.gov], the Libyan economy depends mostly upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes to about 95% of export earnings, 25% of the GDP, and 80% of the government revenue. Libya is considered as 'Upper Middle Income Economy.' In the early 1980s, Libya was one of the wealthiest countries in the world because its GDP was higher than other other developed countries. Today Libya has on of the highest GDP per capita because of its high oil revenues and a small population. There are also many problems in Libya's economy like for example that Libya is is the highest in the region at 21% for unemployment. Clim[[image:http://i.usatoday.net/news/_photos/2011/02/26/libya-oilx-large.jpg width="239" height="190" align="left" caption="A Libyan oil worker, working at a refinery."]]ate conditions and poor soils have a big impact and limit agriculture, and Libya imports about 75% of its food.Water is also a problem, with some 28% of the population not having acess and being able to have safe drinking water. But on the other hand, Libya has a low level of both absolute and relative poverty ([|http://en.wikipedia.org]). Libya is experiencing a business boom and many government-run industries are being privatized. Many international oil companies have returned to the country, including oil giants Shell and ExxonMobil. Tourism is recently on the rise as well, and that's brining an increased demand for hotel need and for capacity at airports. Currently Libya gets 130,000 people visit the country throughout the year, but the Libyan government hopes to increase this amount to 10,000,000 tourists but there isn't much evidence to suggest the current administration is taking much steps to get there.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ** [[image:YES.png width="62" height="45"]] Provide Services: Rank #2** There are lots of things, as in services, that Libya provides [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25.jpg width="235" height="162" align="right" caption="A plane of the Libyan Air Force" link="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25.jpg"]]its country with. For example, Libya has something called the Libyan Armed Forces which consist of the Libyan Army, the Libyan Air Force and the Libyan Navy. Libya has a navy which is the maritime force of Libya. It is a fairly typical small navy used to defend the coastline. Libya also has a army. The Libyan ground forces were estimated to have 11 Border Defence and 4 Security Zones, one regime security brigade, 10 Tank Battalions, 10 Mechanised Infantry Battalions, 18 Infantry Battalions, 6 Commando Battalions, 22 Artillery Battalions, 4 SSM Brigade and 7 Air Defence Artillery Battalions. The last part of the Lybian Armed Forces is the Libyan Air Force. This air force is responsible for aerial warfare. There are 13 military airbases in Libya and The Libyan Air Force strength is estimated at 18,000–22, with and an inventory of 374 combat capable aircraft ([]). Aside from the Libyan Armed Forces, there are also many schools and museums that may be found in Libya. Some of the main schools that are located in Downtown of Libya include:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Al- Entifada (Arabic: **الانتفاضة**‎)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Al- Jabal Al-Akhdar (Arabic: **الجبل الاخضر**‎) [[image:http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Epuc7QyAzYg/s/900/900/Libya-IMG-0319-Red-Castle.jpg width="216" height="157" align="right" caption="Red Castle Museum"]]
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Al- Hasan ibn al-Haytham: (Arabic: **الحسن بن الهيثم)**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Sokaina beint al- Housain (Arabic: **سكينة بنت الحسين**‎)
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;">Red Castle M useum, that is found in Tripol
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 115%;"> Cyrene Antiquity Museum, that is found in Cyrene
 * <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-decoration: none;">Tolmeitha Museum, which is found in Tolmeitha ||


 * Part IV-Current Uprising**
 * **__Who Revolted?__**
 * The Libyan protesters consist mainly of teens and young adults because the majority of the population in Libya is young. The revolt began on February 15th of 2011, and was led by the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition (NCLO.) The group was founded in 2005 by Libyans who were residing in London. Now the NCLO headquarters is located in Benghazi, within the eastern region of Libya, and also the second most popular city in the nation.
 * Due to the revolt and ongoing protests, tribes throughout the nation united to fight for a greater cause while also dividing amongst themselves. Western tribes mainly supported Gaddafi, Libya’s dictator, and his government while eastern tribes revolted against their leader and protested. Because the western tribes believed that Gaddafi was right in all he was doing, they benefited and flourished.
 * To further explain how the people of the nation as a whole are fighting for the same cause yet also fighting for themselves and their tribe, think of it this way. Let’s imagine that Illinois, as a state, revolted against the United States government because they felt as if the five purposes of government were not being met. These five purposes include protection of natural and physical rights, keeping order by creating and enforcing laws, solving conflict through a court system, providing a good economy where people maintain stable jobs and money has value, and finally provide services such as schools, garbage pick-up, police etc. Then once Illinois successfully overthrows the US government, fighting within the state will occur because smaller groups all want power and to be in control. This is exactly what is going on in Libya.
 * Who’s revolting? Well, the people of the nation, as a whole, are fighting for their rights and freedoms. They are looking for a new leader and want the current leader to step down. On the other hand, once Gaddafi is gone, the tribes will start to fight against each other for power because they have no plan to who will be in charge once the dictator leaves.
 * Libya has basically broken out into a civil war. US President Barack Obama and the United Nations, like the protesters, believe that Gaddafi should step down from his position as leader because right now it's the only way to end the fighting.

**__Why did they revolt?__** > > freely and fairly for their leaders as opposed to not having control or a say in their government. ([|www.cbsnews.com].)
 * The people of the nation were dissatisfied with the way their leader was running Libya. As stated above, the people of the nation are fighting for their rights. The citizens of Libya want a democracy where they can vote
 * According to [|www.minnpost.com], they also haven’t received the full necessities for standard living. Libya’s economy isn’t doing too well either which is another reason why its people are revolting and protesting.
 * Gaddafi’s regime, or governing party, is dominating the economy by having complete control of oil resources. (Keep in mind that Libya is one of the top oil producers in the world.) Because the regime has complete control, how the money produced by exporting and trading oil with foreign countries is used is decided by the government.
 * This leads to most of the country’s income being wasted, given to corrupt leaders, spent on attempts to build destructive weapons, and donated to other countries to increase Gaddafi’s influence in Africa. Also the mismanagement of the economy has resulted in high inflation and increased prices which reduce the standard of living for the lower and middle class. If the majority of country is already living in poverty and prices are raised, there's a slim chance that people will be able to afford the basic necessities for living such as food.
 * Libyans believed revolting was the only way to solve their problems because Gaddafi has been in power for 41 years (since 1969), and has not listened to the people’s cries to change the government. They resorted to their last option, which is trying to overthrow their dictator after failed attempts at trying to convince their leader that he needs to change and better provide them with the five purposes.

__**How did the people overthrow their government?**__
 * Currently in Libya, the people of the nation have not successfully overthrown their dictator and his regime yet.
 * According to an article at [|www.findgalegroup.com/gic], otherwise known as Global Issues in Context, U.S. President Barrack Obama and the United Nations (UN) are siding with the rebels and insisting that Gaddafi should abdicate his power and step down from office.
 * Libyans have been under Gaddafi’s rule since 1969, 41 years, when he took over. As stated in many updates and articles at [|www.nytimes.com], the protestors have gotten a lot of foreign support and aid which is helping them succeed in their revolt.
 * What started out as a peaceful protest has blown up into almost a civil war. After Gaddafi responded with violence, the rebels fought back with violence although not quite as violent or powerful as Gaddafi.
 * On February 25th, 10 days after the revolt broke out, forces that were loyal and supported Gaddafi opened gunfire on a group of about a thousand innocent and peaceful protestors in Tripoli. They tried using the gunfire to disperse the crowd, but it only made things worse because rebel leaders called for more forces from other towns while armed government forces surrounded the city.
 * The United Nations Security Council voted to put sanctions on Gaddafi and his forces and they opened an investigation on Gaddafi for attacks against Libyan citizens. Up to this point, the rebels have not assassinated any leaders because they are unarmed and don’t have the support of the military. The rebels consist of young, inexperienced Libyans who are fighting for their right and say in their government so they don’t own many weapons.
 * But at one point, the UN Security Council authorized for all member nations to do whatever it takes to protect the citizens of Libya. That is when Britain, France, and the United States stepped in with military forces and shot down Libya’s air forces that were attacking the people. That is one time when the rebels did have military support.
 * But soon after, there was a no-flight zone in Libya put in place by the UN and the rebels lost any military force that was backing them up. Right now, the people are engaged in acts of warfare because they are being attacked by their government for protesting and they are also fighting back. [[image:japanlibyamarch.jpg width="265" height="201" align="right" caption="People in Japan also supporting rebels. "]]

__**How did they organize?**__


 * According to many articles and posts at [|www.nytimes.com] and other sources, the revolution was not really planned, but rather erupted on February 15th in Benghazi, the nation’s second most popular city and also the location of the headquarters of the NCLO.
 * The NCLO were the first to protest and revolt and eventually the people of the nation listened and followed in their footsteps. The rebels have felt that their government needed to change for a long time, but they didn’t take action.
 * Finally protests erupted and spread like rapid fire through the nation. Quickly and spontaneously, it reached the capitol of Tripoli. Through use of technology and the media, the word of the revolt quickly reached people in the nation and also foreign countries around the world.

__**How did the government respond?**__ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/world/africa/2011-libya-slide-show.html?ref=africa#1 ||
 * Gaddafi did not peacefully give into the protestors’ demands yet he did the complete opposite. Gaddafi responded with violence and military forces. According to [|www.minnpost.com], at first when the tribes were trying to divide, Gaddafi tried uniting the tribes back together yet he did nothing to calm the violence that broke out.
 * He told the army to shoot stray animals and staged public hangings of those who opposed to him in places like neighborhoods and school gyms. Then as stated on an article at Global Issues in Context, soldiers loyal to the dictator began shooting and bombing citizens.
 * Reports have shown that thousands of innocent people have died. Millions have fled and became refugees in neighboring countries and others need humanitarian help. Gaddafi refuses to step down and hand over his power.
 * On the New York Times website ([|www.nytimes.com]), it states that Gaddafi is responding with a level of violence never seen before. He and his armed forces were using their biggest advantage, air force, before the UN implemented a no-flight zone. Airplanes and helicopters were a huge advantage because they did two important things: attack protestors and rebels from above and move/transfer ammunition and supplies.
 * The rebels tried taking over important oil towns, but the government used force to try and retake over those towns.
 * Here are just some dates:
 * 1) March 4th - The government was attacking oil towns and firing at peaceful protestors. At least 35 people were left dead, more than 100 were wounded, and 65 were missing
 * 2) March 5th- Military forces fired on unarmed rebels killing 35.
 * 3) March 7th- Forces launched an air attack on rebels. Rebels had to withdraw after previously being attacked with tanks, helicopters, and fighter planes. [[image:airattack.PNG width="326" height="219" caption="Gaddafi's forces launched an air attack on a building in Libya."]] ||
 * __**How is the goverment similar of different to before the revolution?**__
 * Because Libya has not yet overthrown the government, it has remained pretty much the same. The revolution is still taking place, and as many assume, it will continue to be a long battle.
 * In a way, the government is different from before the revolt because they weren't attacking their own citizens and the country wasn't as violent as now.
 * The government is also in a way still similar to before the revolution because it's still not providing the five purposes for the people.
 * Now they are not providing even more than before. Nothing has changed yet, except that the country has broken out into a civil war that will cost many lives and resources. ||
 * **For more pictures of scenes from Libya, click the link below to view slideshow.**