In the wake of the resignation of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, online activists are threatening to test one of the Arab world's most repressive regimes: Col. Moammar Gadhafi's Libya.
Expatriate activists and an amorphous group of bloggers and social-network users—it isn't clear how many of them are in Libya—are calling for protests across the oil-rich North African nation on Thursday. They are hoping to draw momentum from the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia and to commemorate two of the grislier events in Col. Gadhafi's nearly 42-year reign.
On Feb. 17, 1987, nine young Libyans were publicly executed after being convicted of plotting to kill Libyan and foreign officials. The executions—some by hanging, some by firing squad—were repeatedly aired on state TV.
Regional Upheaval
Protests Expand Across Arab Nations
Tunisian Influx Taxes Italy
Egypt Talk Eludes China's Web Police
View Interactive
.A succession of rallies and demonstrations, in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria have been inspired directly by the popular outpouring of anger that toppled Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. See how these uprisings have progressed.
.On the same day in 2006, Libyan security forces fired on demonstrators outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi, killing more than 10. Protesters had gathered after an Italian minister was seen on TV in a T-shirt emblazoned with a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed.
Libya suffers some of the same ills as its North African neighbors, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, which also has seen large-scale protests erupt in recent weeks. Col. Gadhafi has ruled for decades with an iron fist, tolerating little political opposition. Unemployment is high and the population is growing fast. Food and other prices soared in 2008, retreated amid the global economic crisis, but are heading higher again.
Amid the regional turmoil, Libya has taken some measures to ease rising prices, reducing duties on some food staples in mid-January. On Sunday, the government-affiliated Tripoli Post reported Libyan authorities released 12 political prisoners late last week, a move interpreted as an attempt to quell political opposition.
Government officials in Tripoli say Libya is insulated from the regional unrest. "We are not suffering from a similar system to Egypt and other Arab states," said Abdulmajeed Eldursi, a government spokesman. He credits what Col. Gadhafi has called Libya's "direct democracy," a loosely defined and frequently changing policy of decentralized, grass-roots governance.
In practice, Col. Gadhafi holds all levers of state power, frequently shuffling and dismissing government ministers.
Libya's small population of about 6.5 million and its massive oil wealth give it more room to manage economic woes. Economic output, estimated by the International Monetary Fund at just under $13,000 per capita, is more than four times Egypt. In recent years, Col. Gadhafi has ordered increased economic liberalization. A few years ago, he created a sovereign wealth fund that has bought up large shares of some of the world's best-known corporations, including banking, energy and media interests.
Theodore Karasik, director of research and development at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis, said Libya's population, concentrated in just a handful of urban areas, makes it easier to control. Libya also is benefiting from higher global oil prices, and a rural population that has been largely left to its own devices.
"Libya is a different model to Egypt and Tunisia," he said.
Still, there are signs of worry in Tripoli. Col. Gadhafi chastised protesters in Tunisia when they ousted their long-time leader last month, imploring them to bring back their exiled president. He also lashed out at Wikileaks, accusing foreign powers of using leaked American diplomatic cables to sow instability.
Libya has been dealing recently with its own Wikileaks fallout. Earlier this month, Libya's top oil official denied allegations contained in a U.S. cable released by the group that said he was under pressure to provide $1.2 billion in cash or oil to one of Col. Gadhafi's sons.
"Any wise man has to take certain precautions, this will be the situation in every country in the Middle East, and even in America," said Shokri Ghanem, a former prime minister and the top Libyan oil official mentioned in the Wikileaks cables.
Expatriate activists and an amorphous group of bloggers and social-network users—it isn't clear how many of them are in Libya—are calling for protests across the oil-rich North African nation on Thursday. They are hoping to draw momentum from the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia and to commemorate two of the grislier events in Col. Gadhafi's nearly 42-year reign.
On Feb. 17, 1987, nine young Libyans were publicly executed after being convicted of plotting to kill Libyan and foreign officials. The executions—some by hanging, some by firing squad—were repeatedly aired on state TV.
Regional Upheaval
Protests Expand Across Arab Nations
Tunisian Influx Taxes Italy
Egypt Talk Eludes China's Web Police
View Interactive
.A succession of rallies and demonstrations, in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria have been inspired directly by the popular outpouring of anger that toppled Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. See how these uprisings have progressed.
.On the same day in 2006, Libyan security forces fired on demonstrators outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi, killing more than 10. Protesters had gathered after an Italian minister was seen on TV in a T-shirt emblazoned with a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed.
Libya suffers some of the same ills as its North African neighbors, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, which also has seen large-scale protests erupt in recent weeks. Col. Gadhafi has ruled for decades with an iron fist, tolerating little political opposition. Unemployment is high and the population is growing fast. Food and other prices soared in 2008, retreated amid the global economic crisis, but are heading higher again.
Amid the regional turmoil, Libya has taken some measures to ease rising prices, reducing duties on some food staples in mid-January. On Sunday, the government-affiliated Tripoli Post reported Libyan authorities released 12 political prisoners late last week, a move interpreted as an attempt to quell political opposition.
Government officials in Tripoli say Libya is insulated from the regional unrest. "We are not suffering from a similar system to Egypt and other Arab states," said Abdulmajeed Eldursi, a government spokesman. He credits what Col. Gadhafi has called Libya's "direct democracy," a loosely defined and frequently changing policy of decentralized, grass-roots governance.
In practice, Col. Gadhafi holds all levers of state power, frequently shuffling and dismissing government ministers.
Libya's small population of about 6.5 million and its massive oil wealth give it more room to manage economic woes. Economic output, estimated by the International Monetary Fund at just under $13,000 per capita, is more than four times Egypt. In recent years, Col. Gadhafi has ordered increased economic liberalization. A few years ago, he created a sovereign wealth fund that has bought up large shares of some of the world's best-known corporations, including banking, energy and media interests.
Theodore Karasik, director of research and development at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis, said Libya's population, concentrated in just a handful of urban areas, makes it easier to control. Libya also is benefiting from higher global oil prices, and a rural population that has been largely left to its own devices.
"Libya is a different model to Egypt and Tunisia," he said.
Still, there are signs of worry in Tripoli. Col. Gadhafi chastised protesters in Tunisia when they ousted their long-time leader last month, imploring them to bring back their exiled president. He also lashed out at Wikileaks, accusing foreign powers of using leaked American diplomatic cables to sow instability.
Libya has been dealing recently with its own Wikileaks fallout. Earlier this month, Libya's top oil official denied allegations contained in a U.S. cable released by the group that said he was under pressure to provide $1.2 billion in cash or oil to one of Col. Gadhafi's sons.
"Any wise man has to take certain precautions, this will be the situation in every country in the Middle East, and even in America," said Shokri Ghanem, a former prime minister and the top Libyan oil official mentioned in the Wikileaks cables.
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