Although Libya and its current leader have been the subject of numerous accounts, few have considered how the country's tumultuous history, its institutional development, and its emergence as an oil economy combined to create a state whose rulers ignored the notion of modern statehood. International isolation and a legacy of internal turmoil have destroyed or left undocumented much of what researchers might seek to examine. Dirk Vandewalle supplies a detailed analysis of Libya's political and economic development since the country's independence in 1951, basing his account on fieldwork in Libya, archival research in Tripoli, and personal interviews with some of the country's top policymakers.

Vandewalle argues that Libya represents an extreme example of what he calls a "distributive state," an oil-exporting country where an attempt at state-building coincided with large inflows of capital while political and economic institutions were in their infancy. Libya's rulers eventually pursued policies that were politically expedient but proved economically ruinous, and disenfranchised local citizens. Distributive states, according to Vandewalle, may appear capable of resisting economic and political challenges, but they are ill prepared to implement policies that make the state and its institutions relevant to their citizens. Similar developments can be expected whenever local rulers do not have to extract resources from their citizens to fund the building of a modern state.

Although Libya and its leader have been the subject of numerous accounts, few have considered how the country's tumultuous history, its institutional development and its emergence as an oil economy combined to create a state whose rulers ignored the notion of modern statehood. International isolation and a legacy of internal turmoil have destroyed or left undocumented much of what researchers might seek to examine. Dirk Vandewalle supplies a detailed analysis of Libya's political and economic development since the country's independence in 1951, basing his account on fieldwork in Libya, archival research in Tripoli and personal interviews with some of the country's top policymakers.

In the wake of the civil war and Qadhafi's demise, the time is ripe for a new edition of Dirk Vandewalle's classic history of Libya. The book, which was originally published in 2006, traces the country's history back to the 1900s, through the Italian occupation in the early twentieth century, the Sanusi monarchy and, thereafter, to the revolution of 1969 and the accession of Qadhafi. The following chapters analyse the economics and politics of Qadhafi's revolution, offering insights into the man and his ideology as reflected in his Green Book. The new edition covers the intervening years, since 2005, when, courted by the West, Qadhafi came in from the cold. At home, though, his people were disillusioned, and economic liberalization came too late to forestall revolution. In an epilogue, the author reflects upon Qadhafi's premiership and the legacy he leaves behind.

In the wake of the civil war and Qadhafi's demise, the time is ripe for a new edition of Dirk Vandewalle's classic history of Libya. The book, which was originally published in 2006, traces the country's history back to the 1900s, through the Italian occupation in the early twentieth century, the Sanusi monarchy and, thereafter, to the revolution of 1969 and the accession of Qadhafi. The following chapters analyse the economics and politics of Qadhafi's revolution, offering insights into the man and his ideology as reflected in his Green Book. The new edition covers the intervening years, since 2005, when, courted by the West, Qadhafi came in from the cold. At home, though, his people were disillusioned, and economic liberalization came too late to forestall revolution. In an epilogue, the author reflects upon Qadhafi's premiership and the legacy he leaves behind.

English summary: Dirk Vandewalle offers a history of Libya from the beginning of the twentieth century to the recent events that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Tracing the countrys development from the Italian occupation to the Sanusi monarchy and the revolution that brought Gaddafi to power, the present volume offers much needed context for understanding the breakdown in national unity that followed Gaddafis efforts at normalizing relations with the West, especially in the context of tribal rivalries and regional fragmentation. French description: Fonde sur des recherches personnelles et sur des interviews, l'ouvrage retrace tout d'abord l'histoire de la Libye depuis le debut du XXe siecle et dresse le portrait de sa geographie desertique, de sa population et des personnages cles qui ont permis son developpement. L'auteur examine ensuite la periode noire de l'occupation italienne au tout debut du siecle precedent, celle de la monarchie des Sanusi et, enfin, la revolution de 1969 qui voit l'accession au pouvoir de Mouammar Kadhafi. Les chapitres suivants detaillent les aspects economiques et politiques de la revolution et sont consacres a la personnalite de Kadhafi et a son ideologie exprimee dans le Livre vert.A l'occasion de la recente guerre civile et de la chute du regime, le livre a fait l'objet d'une importante mise a jour pour couvrir les annees 2005 a aujourd'hui. Cette periode est celle du rechauffement dans les relations internationales apres des annees d'isolement aussi bien politique qu'economique. L'accord, signe en 2004, par lequel la Libye s'est engagee a detruire toutes les armes de destruction massive en sa possession, a ouvert la voie a une normalisation de ses relations avec l'Occident. Mais, au meme moment, Kadhafi a perdu le soutien de la population et, malgre les tentatives de liberalisation de l'economie, une reforme structurelle d'envergure s'est revelee impossible. Cette impasse, comme le rappelle Vandewalle dans son introduction, ajoutee aux rivalites tribales, a la fracture regionale et a un manque total d'unite, a favorise le mouvement insurrectionnel et mene le pays a la guerre civile.Dans son epilogue, l'auteur revient sur le role de Kadhafi a la tete du pays, sur la notion de societe sans Etat et sur l'heritage qu'il a laisse.