The paper argues that the causes of Libya's current chaos are rooted in its having failed to establish a modern state. Yet it points out that the policies developed under Qadhafi should not prevent Libyans from developing and implementing a consensual and inclusive statebuilding approach. This is particularly true if informal actors such as tribal structures and qu...

This study examines the relative unknown strategic decisions inside the ?black box? of Ben Ali's authoritarian regime under stress, and questions the broader narrative claiming that the fall of his regime was mainly the result of the mass uprising. Making use of new primary and secondary material, the author argues that the demise of the autocratic ruler was caused...