Gagné, 1
Are Libya and Iraq Better Off Without Gaddafi and Hussein?
Matt Gagné
101071053
PSCI 3809B
Hamed Mousavi
Due: March 28th, 2019
Gagné, 2
December 30th, 2006, and October 20th, 2011. The days Saddam Hussein, leader
of Iraq, and Muammar Gaddafi, leader of Libya, were defeated and killed by two United
States led international coalitions.1 2 Both were recognized to be rather brutal dictators
of their respective countries, committing various human rights violations, and holding a
tight grip on their power. Due to these reasons, the United States and its allies felt it was
necessary to force both of them out of office through any means necessary, this ended
up resulting in both their demises. Now looking back on these forced regime changes
years later. Were these regime changes effective in bettering the lives of Libya and
Iraq’s citizens? Or did the United States make a mistake removing them. The answer lies
in the aftermath. The swift regime changes brought on by the United States and
company to Libya and Iraq have led to further instability, violence, and poverty than
before these regimes were in place. This paper will examine the long terms effects of
Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein’s deaths on their respective countries and
whether these nations were better off with their leaders still in power.
Post-Gaddafi Libya began as a possible success story in the Arab Spring. They had
their first election in forty years in 2012 and elected the liberal leaning National Forces
Alliance to government.3 However, the country soon descended into political chaos as
the Eastern, Islamic leaning regions felt disenfranchised by the newly formed
1
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Saddam Hussein." Encyclopædia Britannica. March 07, 2019.
Accessed March 20, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saddam-Hussein.
2
"Timeline: Gaddafi's 42 Years in Power." Reuters. October 23, 2011. Accessed March 20, 2019.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-gaddafi-power-idUSTRE79M13C20111023.
3
Kirkpatrick, David D. "Libyans Vote in First Election in More Than 40 Years." The New York Times. July 07,
2012. Accessed March 20, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/world/africa/libyans-vote-infirst-election-in-more-than-40-years.html.
Gagné, 3
government and an insurgency began.4 This insurgency culminated with the Benghazi
attacks on September 11-12, 2012, resulting in the death of 4 Americans, including their
ambassador to Libya.5
The newly established Libyan government struggled to gain a monopoly on the
use of force in the country. This being one of the key components of being a state this
was an immense problem for them. A huge factor as to why they could not reign in
control over deadly force is because when Gaddafi was overthrown his military’s
munitions facilities were left unguarded and easily looted by militant groups. Not only
did this have a major impact on violence within the nation, it greatly impacted
surrounding nations such as Egypt and Sudan who saw Gaddafi’s weapons sold to
insurgent group within their borders as well.6 The lack of immediate action taken by the
international coalition to find and secure Gaddafi’s massive arms reserves made it
incredibly difficult for any new government to regain control of a spiraling country.
Effectively setting up the National Forces Alliance for immediate setbacks to rebuilding
Libya. An issue that still plagues the nation to this day.
When Muammar Gaddafi was in power, Libya stood as the 53rd ranked country
on the United Nations human development index. As of today, they rank 108 th in their
4
Kersten, Mark. "Justice after the War: The International Criminal Court and Post-Gaddafi
Libya." Transitional Justice and the Arab Spring, 2015, 188-207. doi:10.4324/9780203431146-11.
5
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "2012 Benghazi Attacks." Encyclopædia Britannica. December
17, 2018. Accessed March 20, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/event/2012-Benghazi-attacks.
6
Feinstein, Andrew. "Where Is Gaddafi's Vast Arms Stockpile?" The Guardian. October 26, 2011. Accessed
March 20, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/26/gadaffis-arms-stockpile.
Gagné, 4
2018 rankings.7 It has been eight years since Gaddafi was killed and the country is still
55 spots behind where they were during Gaddafi’s rule. This is indicative of the
stagnation in Libya’s ability to develop socially, economically, and politically. If Gaddafi’s
regime could produce a human index record better than 136 nations, a democratically
elected body should not be struggling this dramatically to rebuild nearly a decade after
his death. The issue lies in how the United States led coalition handled the regime
change.
When Muammar Gaddafi was killed in 2011, he left a massive power vacuum in
his place that allowed not just political militant groups to attempt to take over, but
Islamic extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS (The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).
Al Qaeda began to have an immense presence in Libya soon after Gaddafi’s departure
and took advantage of the massive instability in the region. The group is known as AlQaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM), they have many satellites in Libya especially near its
Mediterranean coast.8 They have profited off the government’s inability to secure
power in the region, mores specifically in the nation’s eastern parts where they feel
ignored by the liberal leaning government in power.9 This has led to Islamic extremism
7
"Human Development Reports." | Human Development Reports. Accessed March 20, 2019.
http://hdr.undp.org/en/2018-update.
8
"Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed March 21, 2019.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb.
9
Kersten, Mark. "Justice after the War: The International Criminal Court and Post-Gaddafi
Libya." Transitional Justice and the Arab Spring, 2015, 188-207. doi:10.4324/9780203431146-11.
Gagné, 5
ideas becoming more and more prevalent in the country and this has bred more
conflict.10
The terrorist organization that has profited the most in light of Libya’s rebuild
has been the Islamic State (ISIS). They have recognized Libya as a new province of the
caliphate and have taken advantage of the easy access to Gaddafi’s arms to build up
their military presence and fight off any sort of pushback from the Libyan government.11
Another factor into why ISIS has been able to sustain a strong foothold in Libya is
because of the refugee crisis that was triggered by the consistent violence in the region.
The organization has been able to extort those fleeing war to fund their operations in
the region.12 The refugee crisis has hit a critical stage; the United Nations says there are
currently upwards of two-hundred thousand displaced Libyans.13 ISIS has been taking
full advantage of this and profiting off people looking to escape the failed state. With
Gaddafi gone, and a new government that has not been able to reign in control over the
use of force. Extremism has found a perfect home in a very vulnerable Libya.
Finally, Libya has failed to truly rebuild in the post-Gaddafi era because of the
economic instability caused by his removal. Libya went from being one of Africa’s top
economic powerhouses to a failed state in a matter of a few years.14 When Gaddafi was
10
"Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed March 21, 2019.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb.
11
"Strategic Insights: ISIS in Libya: A Threat or a Dead-End?" Strategic Studies Institute. Accessed March
21, 2019. https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/index.cfm/articles/ISIS-In-Libya/2018/09/26.
12
"The Origins and Evolution of ISIS in Libya." Atlantic Council Publications. Accessed March 21, 2019.
https://publications.atlanticcouncil.org/the-origins-and-evolution-of-isis-in-libya/.
13
United Nations. "Libya." UNHCR. Accessed March 22, 2019. https://www.unhcr.org/libya.html.
14
Chengu, Garikai. "Libya: From Africa's Richest State Under Gaddafi, to Failed State After NATO
Intervention." Global Research. March 09, 2018. Accessed March 22, 2019.
Gagné, 6
in power Libyans had access to free education, free healthcare, and he even committed
to free housing.15 Under Gaddafi literacy rates went from just twenty-five percent
before to as high as eighty-seven percent. With twenty-five percent of Libyans earning
university degrees.16 Post-secondary education was a heavy priority under Gaddafi’s
regime, so much so that if Libyan schools did not offer what a student needed, the
government would cover costs of going to school abroad.17 Though the regime had its
major downfalls, there are many Libyans on record saying they miss their lives from
Gaddafi’s reign.18 With these types of social benefits now gone and the new government
not being able to get a grasp on power or the economy, this opinion is far from
irrational. Another social benefit from Gaddafi’s regime was a five thousand dollar hand
out from the Libyan government to all new mothers. This helped new families start off
with a healthy financial situation which in turn benefited the nation’s economy
immensely.19 This is something the new government has not been able to regain since
the 2011 uprising.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-from-africas-richest-state-under-gaddafi-to-failed-state-after-natointervention/5408740.
15
Global Research News. "Libya: Ten Things About Gaddafi They Don't Want You to Know." Global
Research. November 30, 2018. Accessed March 23, 2019. https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-tenthings-about-gaddafi-they-dont-want-you-to-know/5414289.
16
Global Research News. "Libya: Ten Things About Gaddafi They Don't Want You to Know." Global
Research. November 30, 2018. Accessed March 23, 2019. https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-tenthings-about-gaddafi-they-dont-want-you-to-know/5414289.
17
Kafala, Tarik. "Gaddafi's Quixotic and Brutal Rule." BBC News. October 20, 2011. Accessed March 24,
2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12532929.
18
Afp. "'I Hate to Say It but Our Life Was Better under the Previous Regime': War-weary Libyans Miss Life
under Gaddafi." Business Insider. October 17, 2016. Accessed March 24, 2019.
https://www.businessinsider.com/afp-war-weary-libyans-miss-life-under-kadhafi-2016-10.
19
Global Research News. "Libya: Ten Things About Gaddafi They Don't Want You to Know." Global
Research. November 30, 2018. Accessed March 23, 2019. https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-tenthings-about-gaddafi-they-dont-want-you-to-know/5414289.
Gagné, 7
Muammar Gaddafi believed that housing was a human right and proved this by
supplying free housing to all Libyans.20 This was an incredibly successful social program
for Libya as it alleviated the burden of a heavy mortgage on its people and freed up
more disposable income. This in turn allowed Libyans to spend into the economy and
boost it even further. Along with free housing, Gaddafi’s government charged a net zero
dollars to its citizens for electricity.21 This was more or less because of the ease of access
to oil. Nevertheless, there are many oil rich nations who charge their people for
electricity regardless of this fact. All this to say that despite some glaring negatives to
Gaddafi’s rule, he did ensure his citizens were well off financially as much as possible.
Lastly, the Libyan economy under Gaddafi was very healthy. It was known as the
most prosperous state in Africa with a GDP as high as 87.14 billion dollars in 2008. In
2017, six years after Gaddafi was overthrown, the GDP fell to 31.1 billion.22 A
demographic that benefitted greatly under Gaddafi’s economic policy were women. In
1970 he passed an equal pay for equal act, and he has always been an avid supporter of
women’s working rights. So much so that he was praised by the United Nations Human
Rights Council for his strides towards women’s equality.23 Having these laws bolstered
20
Global Research News. "Libya: Ten Things About Gaddafi They Don't Want You to Know." Global
Research. November 30, 2018. Accessed March 23, 2019. https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-tenthings-about-gaddafi-they-dont-want-you-to-know/5414289.
21
Global Research News. "Libya: Ten Things About Gaddafi They Don't Want You to Know." Global
Research. November 30, 2018. Accessed March 23, 2019. https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-tenthings-about-gaddafi-they-dont-want-you-to-know/5414289.
22
"GDP (current US$)." Data. Accessed March 24, 2019.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?locations=LY.
23
Chengu, Garikai. "Libya: From Africa's Richest State Under Gaddafi, to Failed State After NATO
Intervention." Global Research. March 09, 2018. Accessed March 22, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-from-africas-richest-state-under-gaddafi-to-failed-state-after-natointervention/5408740.
Gagné, 8
the economy with a much larger work force compared to surrounding nations who have
repressive laws keeping women out of the economy.24
Now moving on to Iraq in the post-Saddam Hussein era. It can be summed up by
this sentiment by a Mr. Gilhan from Baghdad. "I thought the situation would be better,
there would be jobs, the country would be free and democratic. But almost immediately
after that day I witnessed too many things that hurt me. I don't feel like I live in the real
Iraq. I feel like I live in a shadow of what it was, what it could have been."25 A statement
that after looking more closely at the situation certainly has merit.
To begin to look at post-Hussein Iraq, it must be put into context with the state
of the nation beforehand. Beginning with stability. Under Saddam Hussein the state’s
power was highly centralized and with this came a brand of stability that can no longer
be found in the borderline failed state as there is no longer a strong check on warring
militant groups and extremist groups.26 Right now, in Iraq groups such as Al-Qaeda, and
ISIS have been allowed to take over various regions of the nations and in ISIS’s case
literally establish a new government in the form of a caliphate. The caliphate grew so
large that at its peak approximately ten million people were living under its control. 27
24
Chengu, Garikai. "Libya: From Africa's Richest State Under Gaddafi, to Failed State After NATO
Intervention." Global Research. March 09, 2018. Accessed March 22, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/libya-from-africas-richest-state-under-gaddafi-to-failed-state-after-natointervention/5408740.
25
Kullab, Samya. "Fifteen Years after Saddam Fell, Where Does Iraq Stand Now?" The National. April 10,
2018. Accessed March 24, 2019. https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/fifteen-years-after-saddamfell-where-does-iraq-stand-now-1.719746.
26
Riedel, Bruce, and Bruce Riedel. "Trump's Saddam: Terror Killer or Terror Patron?" Brookings. July 28,
2016. Accessed March 25, 2019. https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/trumps-saddam-terror-killer-orterror-patron/.
27
"Islamic State and the Crisis in Iraq and Syria in Maps." BBC News. March 28, 2018. Accessed March 25,
2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034.
Gagné, 9
This was due to them moving swiftly and taking advantage of a disorganized Iraqi
government military. The disorganization of the Iraqi army had a lot to do with the fact
that after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell, the American-led coalition disbanded the Iraqi
army leading to an ensuing chaos that extremist groups profited immensely from.28
Furthermore, the disbanded army’s leaders feeling disenfranchised by the new
government, proceeded to join ISIS as leaders within their ranks. It is estimated that
twenty-five of ISIS’s forty top leaders were former highly ranked officers in Hussein’s
army. This brought a very high tactical intelligence to the organization that it did not
have beforehand and this gave them a distinct advantage on the battlefield against an
unorganized newly formed Iraqi army. Jack Keane, a retired army vice chief of staff said
that not rebuilding the Iraqi army and police force was one of the gravest mistakes the
coalition made.29 By taking far too long to reorganize the state’s military and policing
forces, the rising insurgencies were allowed a grace period where they went relatively
unchecked and took over large landmasses in Iraq. At its highest point, ISIS held almost
the entire northern half of the country.30 Under Saddam Hussein this type of rapid
extremist expansion never occurred.
Iraq’s education under Saddam Hussein was considered to be one of the best
and most comprehensive in the Middle East. Iraq’s literacy rate rose from fifty-two
28
Thompson, Mark. "ISIS: How Disbanding the Iraqi Army Fueled the Extremist Group's Rise." Time. May
29, 2015. Accessed March 25, 2019. http://time.com/3900753/isis-iraq-syria-army-united-states-military/.
29
Thompson, Mark. "ISIS: How Disbanding the Iraqi Army Fueled the Extremist Group's Rise." Time. May
29, 2015. Accessed March 25, 2019. http://time.com/3900753/isis-iraq-syria-army-united-states-military/.
30
"Islamic State and the Crisis in Iraq and Syria in Maps." BBC News. March 28, 2018. Accessed March 25,
2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034.
Gagné, 10
percent to eighty percent in less than a decade.31 After the west began to get involved in
Iraq in the early 90’s, the literacy rate fell back to fifty percent by the end of the decade
due to sanctions that hurt the education system immensely.32 This percentage amongst
women fell even lower to forty-five percent. Universities in the nation fared even worse
then the public-school system. United Nations sanctions denied seventy percent of
material requests from Iraqi institutions. Therefore, over time the universities began to
break down and their classes got more and more outdated. The secondary education
student population plummeted and studying abroad was also incredibly difficult due to
the actions taken by the United Nations, largely led by the United States.33 Universities
in Iraq also lost many of their faculty member. As many as ten thousand professors left
their jobs in the twelve years of sanctions.34 Universities were also looted and burnt to
the ground just days after Hussein’s removal, like for example Mustansiriya University
31
Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How America's War
Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-a-center-of-higher-learning-how-america-swar-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
32
Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How America's War
Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-a-center-of-higher-learning-how-america-swar-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
33
Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How America's War
Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-a-center-of-higher-learning-how-america-swar-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
34
Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How America's War
Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-a-center-of-higher-learning-how-america-swar-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
Gagné, 11
was looted of its books, computers, and even wiring was stripped from the walls. What
was not looted was burnt to the ground.35
Iraq’s libraries and museums were also impacted by the removal of Saddam
Hussein in 2003. Soon after he was killed and the United States decided to only protect
the ministry of oil and the ministry of the interior. This allowed insurgents to loot and
burn libraries and museums to the ground. In total almost one million books and over
ten million historical documents were destroyed or stolen. Something widely considered
“an intellectual disaster on a national scale”.36
Iraq’s healthcare system under the Baathist regime was widely considered to be
one of the best and most advanced in the region before Hussein’s fall. Now nearly the
entire population is without health insurance (96%) and over forty percent believe their
region’s healthcare availability and quality is either bad or very bad. According to a poll
done by the Iraq Knowledge Network (IKN).37 Immunization rates were also hit quite
hard due to the ensuing conflict following the end of the Hussein regime. The
percentage of fully vaccinated children fell twenty percent from sixty to forty percent.38
Lastly mental health services have all but disappeared in Iraq. At a time where its
35
Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How America's War
Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-a-center-of-higher-learning-how-america-swar-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
36
Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How America's War
Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011. Accessed March 26, 2019.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-a-center-of-higher-learning-how-america-swar-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
37
"Iraq 10 Years On: War Leaves Lasting Impact on Healthcare - Iraq." ReliefWeb. Accessed March 27,
2019. https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/iraq-10-years-war-leaves-lasting-impact-healthcare.
38
"Iraq 10 Years On: War Leaves Lasting Impact on Healthcare - Iraq." ReliefWeb. Accessed March 27,
2019. https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/iraq-10-years-war-leaves-lasting-impact-healthcare.
Gagné, 12
citizens have been subject to years of violence and chaos, they need these services now
more than ever. In a 2007 poll done by the World Health Organization (WHO), over one
third of the nation claimed to be under significant psychological distress. More recent
research done by Doctors Without Borders and the Iraqi government later on have
concluded that these numbers have only increased due to mass displacement and the
constant fearing for one’s livelihood.39
To conclude, it is no secret that the United States led coalitions against
Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein’s regimes were heavily flawed and lacked a
detailed and effective action plan for how to rebuild the two nations after their removal.
However, the question is, are these two nations better off without their authoritarian
leaders or was their removal a mistake? After examining and comparing various aspects
of Libyan and Iraqi citizen’s lives before and after the regimes fell. Such as, stability, the
spread of extremist groups, economics, education, and healthcare. There is certainly a
debate to be had that the nations after the rule of Gaddafi and Hussein’s regimes were
any better than before. After reviewing statistics and reading personal testimonies from
the nation’s citizens. The US led coalitions against Gaddafi and Hussein should be seen
as rather catastrophic foreign policy failures and turned two nations considered to be
some of the most advanced in their regions, to almost failed states or in Libya’s, an
actual failed state. Despite various issues the international community may have had
with Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein’s approaches to ruling, one thing cannot
39
"Iraq 10 Years On: War Leaves Lasting Impact on Healthcare - Iraq." ReliefWeb. Accessed March 27,
2019. https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/iraq-10-years-war-leaves-lasting-impact-healthcare.
Gagné, 13
be argued, their nations now stand on the brink of collapse without their firm
leadership. It was a grave mistake for the United States to get involved in the domestic
affairs of Libya and Iraq.
Gagné, 14
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Gusterson, Hugh. "Iraq Had a Long Tradition as a Center of Higher Learning: How
America's War Destroyed Iraq's Universities." Global Research. November 02, 2011.
Accessed March 26, 2019. https://www.globalresearch.ca/iraq-had-a-long-tradition-as-acenter-of-higher-learning-how-america-s-war-destroyed-iraq-s-universities/27418.
Gagné, 15
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"Iraq 10 Years On: War Leaves Lasting Impact on Healthcare - Iraq." ReliefWeb. Accessed
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"Iraq 10 Years On: War Leaves Lasting Impact on Healthcare - Iraq." ReliefWeb. Accessed
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Kafala, Tarik. "Gaddafi's Quixotic and Brutal Rule." BBC News. October 20, 2011.
Accessed March 24, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12532929.
Kersten, Mark. "Justice after the War: The International Criminal Court and Post-Gaddafi
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Accessed March 21, 2019. https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/index.cfm/articles/ISIS-InLibya/2018/09/26.
Gagné, 16
"The Origins and Evolution of ISIS in Libya." Atlantic Council Publications. Accessed
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