Winning The Peace in Libya Collectively

Co-Authored with Shashank Joshi, Libya: Winning the Peace Collective for Chatham House's The World Today.It is neither too early nor too flagrantly self-congratulatory for NATO to declare victory in the military phase of its recent foray into North Africa. Nevertheless, just as the international community was crucial to the rebels’ success in overthrowing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, so too will it be vital to the stabilisation efforts that are now underway, and in the ensuing process of transition to legitimate governance capped by the nation-wide elections slated for 2012.More broadly, Tripoli’s capture by disparate militias, all loyal to the anti-Gaddafi cause but lacking joint commandand control structures, presents what may be the greatest opportunity of the Arab Spring - however fraught it may also be with the possibility for anarchy.