Libya: A flawed electoral system at the root of the conflict?

“In a sense, in Libya the cart was put before the horse, […] they had elections before they had any of the institutions that in most circumstances really give elections meaning”

For War and Peace Talk, Professor Dirk Vandewalle (Dartmouth College) takes an in-depth look at the root causes which gave rise to the establishment of a parallel government in Libya.

The current UNSMIL- administered peace talks, Professor Vandewalle also argues, could be a silver lining to create potent political institutions and foster Libyans’ trust in the political system.

The interview was conducted on January 23, 2015. Professor Vandewalle visited the Netherlands to partake in a panel on ‘Guns and Borders: Libya’s Arms Bazaar Fueling Conflicts in the Arab World’ as part of the Henriette van Lynden lecture series organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.