Revolution from afar

In the background of the telephone call with her father, she could hear on the television sounds of gunshots and explosions raging in the streets outside her home in Tripoli – imminent indicators of the ongoing revolution storming through Libya.

“I heard on TV all of these gunshots and things blowing up,” said sophomore biology major and Libya native Sana Al-Baeity. “I’m begging him to go back home and he couldn’t say what’s going on – they never said anything because they were too scared. The phones were being watched.”

The Libyan rebel army swept through Tripoli in late August, attempting to seize the reins of power from Col. Moammar Gadhafi and the current regime. Rising up against Gadhafi, who had been in power since the age of 27, Libya saw an uprising similar to those which occurred in Egypt and Tunisia.

“I think there are some common themes with all of these revolutions that took place in the so-called Arab Spring,” said Steven Elliot-Gower, associate professor of government and sociology. “You have food shortages and very high increases in prices that occur largely because of increased oil prices.”

Gadhafi was in power for a total of 42 years. In that time, the worsening economy and unemployment lead to the unhappiness of the Libyan people.

Al-Baeity grew up in Libya, where her parents still live. She considers herself a lucky one. She attended private school and was always encouraged by her parents to strive to succeed in everything in her life.

“My family was all doctors. My mom is a doctor and my dad is a college professor. They pushed me up high,” Al-Baeity said.

Al-Baeity knew she wanted to study abroad upon graduating high school and was accepted to Georgia College on a scholarship.

Growing up, Al-Baeity attended school with many government officials’ family members. But even then, she says she doesn’t remember discussions of pro- or anti-government.

“No one was pro or not pro. Nobody really cared at that time,” Al-Baeity said. “I thought he was a good guy, honestly, as long as you worked and went to school everything was normal.”

However, Al-Baeity’s life took a fearful turn.

“Then this whole thing started and I was so scared for my family,” Al-Baeity said. “All I knew is I couldn’t go back home once everything started. Then when I saw what he did to people and how he killed them, I couldn’t help but side against him.”

The civil war, which broke out from protests against the government, was led by rebel armies and began in February. To date, the death toll in Libya is still being determined and reports say it might never be discovered. However, in April the Los Angeles Times reported the death toll stood at 10,000 to 30,000 with the number of internally displaced Libyans at

Al-Baeity believes one of the main causes of the revolution was due to the youth giving up on a hopeful future for themselves in Libya.

“If people actually knew there was a point to it all – it would be different,” Al-Baeity said. “It’s a group mentality. If you knew no matter how much you studied or what degree you got that you’re still not going to get paid well, then what do you have?”

Another important factor leading to the uprising was the creation of new jobs by the Gadhafi regime.

According to Reuters in 2009, Libya’s unemployment rate stood at 20.7 percent, which amounts to one in five citizens being unemployed. Libyan unemployment stands in stark contrast to the United States’ rate, which is currently at 9.1 percent.

“These governments were just not creating jobs for young people,” Elliot-Gower said.

Al-Baeity, although far from the violence ravaging the place she calls home, has constantly been reminded of the frightening reality of war. A friend of Al-Baeity’s joined the rebel army soon after a friend of his was killed.

“He did the right thing. If you’re young and you have the strength, you’re going to defend your country from a tyrant,” Al-Baeity said.

The youth played a pivotal role in the uprisings of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. A role Elliot-Gower believes was in part due to the new technology in their grasp.

“I believe over time the social media, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter were able to create some sense of civil society,” Elliot-Gower said. “People could connect with other people who had similar complaints about their government and they could do it all in a relatively anonymous way.”

Al-Baeity learned to take her dismay one day at a time, sometimes not even being able to contact her parents.

“It was the worse time of my life. I couldn’t reach anyone. The phones weren’t working and Internet didn’t work for six months,” Al-Baeity said. “I would call my parents every single day just to make sure they were alive.”

The nightmare of possibly losing her parents carried on into her everyday life. It affected her to the point where she couldn’t focus on everyday tasks.

“I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t go to school. It was pretty harsh,” Al-Baeity said. “I got used to being that way.”

Al-Baeity’s best friend lives close to downtown Tripoli, where the violence first started. She remembers calling her and hearing the devastation ripping through the streets.

“I was calling her and I could hear gunshots and she’s saying people are dead in the streets – there was a massacre there,” Al-Baeity said. “She was so scared and I was scared for her.”

Al-Beity’s life was turned upside down again on Oct. 20.

“I wake up and I’ve had like three hours of sleep and I get on Facebook and everyone’s saying Gadhafi’s been killed. I just thought it was a rumor but then I got on the shuttle and there’s a picture,” Al-Baeity said. “My Facebook was full of videos, pictures and links for two days straight. Everybody was happy but I couldn’t get the full happiness of it because no matter how horrible he was, it was still somebody’s death. I was happy the country was now free. He deserves it, I know, but who am I to say?”

Since Gadhafi was killed, the Transitional National Council has been set in place to help with the progression of Libya. The role of the United States in this new formation is vital.

“I think the United States has to continue to be supportive of these new regimes as they emerge and that means providing some financial support either directly or through the United Nations,” Elliot-Gower said. “It might also mean providing some technical support on how to rebuild the oil industry how to diversify their economy.”

The oil industry adds an extra level of difficulty when attempting to rebuild Libya’s economy that Elliot-Gower attributes to a common phenomenon called the oil curse.

According to Elliot-Gower, the problem occurs in countries with economies built around oil revenue. The issue lies in the government using the revenue to fund military which can then be used to oppress the people and maintain dictatorship.

There are also worries that a civil war could erupt over those who were in favor of the previous government and those who wish for change. However, Al-Baeity doesn’t see likelihood of this occurring.

“The ones that preferred Gadhafi are very few and they probably only like him because he gave them money,” Al-Baeity said.

Looking back at the sleepless nights and constant fear of never seeing her family and friends again, it is valid to ask the question of whether it was worth it.

“I was doubtful at first. But now looking back it was definitely worth it,” Al-Baeity said. “They wanted different things that are not available in Libya. They wanted a modern Libya. They wanted a better future.”

Posted by AubrieSofala on Nov 17 2011. Filed under Lead stories, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.