These armed men think, act and make demands on the basis that they are revolutionaries, yet there is no longer a revolution to be fought. Once the heroes of the story, they have now become the villains.
Is the Syrian crisis spilling over into Lebanon behind the recent chaotic events? Events that occur on a semi-regular basis, when viewed in relation to the neighbouring conflict in Syria, warrant far greater attention.
In Libya learning is by rote and independent thinking, problem solving and analytical approaches are nonexistent.
This is a momentous occasion in Libyan history, yet read about Libya in the international media and you might find this hard to believe. Reports paint a picture of a country on the edge of the abyss, the new Iraq or Afghanistan.
As the fireworks of the opening ceremony of the Olympics went off in London, gunfire was resounding once again in Tripoli.
It is testimony to Libya’s determination to make their revolution count that the elections went as smoothly as they did.
Lebanon’s infrastructure has been damaged by repeated conflict, with the country even now still reeling from the destruction of civilian infrastructure (including power and water plants and transport infrastructure) by Israel in the 2006 war.
Many Libyans are at a loss to know how to choose between different candidates based on photos and slogans alone, and are frustrated by the whole campaigning process.
While Libyans are quietly proving that they can forgive, forget and move forward together, the current political and military powers in Libya seem intent on proving the opposite to the rest of the world.
A series of potentially incendiary events have brought new headlines, blog posts, status updates and tweets proclaiming that Lebanon is slipping into Syria’s war.
A more important root to the current violence is the poverty blighting these communities. It is no secret that Tripoli is neglected in terms of investment, education, public services and employment.
For these young Libyans, to register and participate in the elections means acknowledging that their voices are no more important than anyone else’s.
