Viewing posts from: Forthcoming Book

13
May
2013

The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future

My Book will be released on June 13, 2013.  Yet you can order your copy from Palgrave by clicking here or from Amazon by clicking here .

Here is some advanced praise for the volume by the established authorities in the field:

“In the wake of Libya’s civil war, a number of volumes have appeared that chronicle the country’s civil war and its aftermath.  Few, however, will be able to match the comprehensiveness and insights of The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future, which provides an admirable overview and synthesis of the different aspects of the country’s most recent upheaval by several noted Libya-watchers.”

—Dirk Vandewalle, Dartmouth College

“Deeply rooted in historical research, Jason Pack’s The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future is a work of original scholarship and analysis that sheds new light on the causes and origins of the Libyan uprisings, the continuous struggle throughout Libyan history between the center and the periphery, and the role of different domestic and international actors in the success of the revolt. The difficulties and hurdles of the transition from Jamahiriya to Jumhuriya are clearly exposed and discussed.”

—Karim Mezran, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

“Best Libya book since the uprisings against the Qadhafi regime.  Sweeping introduction will introduce you to individual issues addressed by top experts.  Despite ongoing change, this book will stand the test of time.”

—David Mack, Middle East Institute Scholar and former US Ambassador

15
Jan
2013

The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future

Building on my policy monograph, I am the editor of a Forthcoming book with Palgrave Macmillan: The 2011 Libyan Uprisings and the Struggle for the Post-Qadhafi Future.  Its release date is June 2013.  It is a work of contemporary history. As such, it analyzes the Libyan uprisings thematically and analytically rather than chronologically.

SYNOPSIS:

In 2011, spontaneous popular uprisings overthrew Muammar Qadhafi — one of the world’s most infamous tyrants. Paradoxically, Qadhafi’s own efforts to “reform” Libya’s economy and rebuild his country’s international relationships since 2003 set the stage for his downfall. Despite the enabling effects of twenty-first century communications technology and the aid of NATO jets, the 2011 Libyan uprisings were largely organized along traditional regional, local, and tribal cleavages. The future of post-Qadhafi Libya will be determined by a struggle between “center” and “periphery.” This contest has deep resonances in Libyan history. A work of contemporary political history, this volume analyzes the 2011 Libyan uprisings thematically — focusing on the role of economics, outside actors, tribes, ethnic minorities, and Islamists. This volume’s contributors include the British Ambassador to Libya during the uprisings, the President of the American University of Cairo, a former commander of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and the world’s leading academic and security specialists in Libyan affairs.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: The Center and the Periphery  by Jason Pack

Chapter 1: Civil War and Civil Activism by George Joffé

Chapter 2: Dynamics of Continuity and Change by Youssef Mohammed Sawani

Chapter 3: The Post-Qadhafi Economy by Ronald Bruce St John

Chapter 4: The Role of Outside Actors by Ambassador Richard Northern and Jason Pack

Chapter 5: The Rise of Tribal Politics by Wolfram Lacher

Chapter 6: The South by Henry Smith

Chapter 7: Islamists by Noman Benotman, Jason Pack, and James Brandon

Afterword: Libya—A Journey From Extraordinary to Ordinary by Lisa Anderson

18
Mar
2012

Preliminary Details of Book

I am editing a volume about the 2011 Libyan Uprisings. It builds on the central thesis of my monograph – that the the revolution in Libya was a series of discrete ‘Uprisings’ and that within the Uprisings the periphery conquered the centre.

The book will feature many of the world’s top Libya experts in the fields of diplomacy, economics, social media, military, etc. — each expert will contribute a chapter about a discrete aspect of the Uprisings.

I expect the book to be released in early to mid 2013.  For more details about the contributors or the publisher stay posted. At this point these must remain top secret.

23
Feb
2012

In War’s Wake: The Struggle for Post-Qadhafi Libya

My Monograph on Libya’s Militia Problem “In War’s Wake: The Struggle for Post-Qadhafi Libya”

During the 2011 uprisings in Libya, rebel militias emerged throughout regime-held territory, fighting Qadhafi’s forces despite being largely cut off from coordination with the center of opposition power. By revolution’s end, these peripheral militias were stronger than the interim government’s forces and had resorted to jockeying for power against each other via gun battles in downtown Tripoli. How can the international community help avoid further deterioration in a country devastated by months of war?

In this new study, Jason Pack and Barak Barfi explain why the United States must take a proactive stance in ensuring that Libyan authorities win the peace, not just the war. Although Washington cannot overtly interfere in the country’s internal politics, it can pave the way for NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, private firms, and foreign officials to help the National Transitional Council establish institutions capable of connecting with the periphery. Only then will the center be up to the crucial tasks of building capacity, jumpstarting the economy, and defeating the inherent centrifugal force of the militias.