Libya: A Whole Other Language

 If you have been keeping up with what is going on with Libya (and are observant) you'll notice that the language used by the media and even the people themselves are remarkably different that the language used during the Tunisia and/or Egyptian Revolutions. They are also different than the coverage of the Yemeni uprisings, Algerian and Jordan protests, and Bahrain movement (see my coverage of them all from when they all began till today).

No I'm not talking about all the different ways that Quaddafi's name is being spelled:

 

(Interestingly enough, governments are having a tough time freezing Quaddafi's assets because there are 115,000 legitimate translations to his name in English alone)

I'm talking about the words used like "Rebels," "mercenaries," "Siege,"  and much more. Haven't seen them? How about Reuters "Rebels in Libya city repel repeated attacks" or the Washington Post's "Stalemate in Libyan Siege" or maybe the Telegraph's "Libya protests: 'foreign mercenaries using heavy weapons against at demonstrators'."

It is becoming more evident that there is a change in terminology however, is this just a change in media coverage? Or is there something more to the story? The answer is as Quadaffi's son Saif Quaddafi said: Libya is not Egypt. Libya has a strong tribal system and Quadaffi has worked for decades to gain the support of massive tribes around western Libya. He has also tried gaining alliances around the oil rich parts of the country.

So the terms like "rebel" and "mercenaries" aren't extravagant ways to say pro and anti government forces: they are actual mercenaries and fighting rebels. The massive tribes in Western Libya (who have been Quaddafi's enemy for a long time) are the ones leading the revolt. The headquarters of all the protesters is in the second largest city of Benghazi, also the center of one of the largest tribes in the country. Here is an extensive piece of tribalism in Libya's history: click here.  Scroll to the end to read the more recent stuff. 

Despite this tribalism, there is no question of the viability of a single state, in fact, most Libyans want it. Therefore the only solution is to create the best government possible and right now, that isn't the case. As time goes on and with the success of a revolution, we will hopefully find a better Libya. 

I watched an interesting video highlighted TED video about a representative of Al Jazeera (not sure what his official position is) however, he gave a significant TED Talk on what was going on with the Arab revolutions and Al Jazeera's role.  His vision of what happens may come true in Libya and many other Arab countries. 

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