Justice, Reconciliation, and State-Building in Post-Gaddafi Libya

What is it about?

This article argues that the transitional justice (TJ) approach in post-Gaddafi Libya has failed because it lacked national reconciliation. Libya’s transition experience did not include reconciliation and agreement on a new social contract, and this not only perpetuated conflict, exclusion, and division, but also frustrated the pursuit of a peace, and made democratic transition a remote possibility. Taking stock from local and relevant comparative international experiences, the main argument is that the nexus between TJ and peacebuilding should be replaced, or at least coupled, with an inclusive national reconciliation process that yields an agreement on a new social contract

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