AUTHOR=Brinkman Anne-Marie TITLE=Crisis as opportunity—manifestations of civic practice in Libyan governance and rule of law JOURNAL=Frontiers in Political Science VOLUME=6 YEAR=2025 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2024.1350311 DOI=10.3389/fpos.2024.1350311 ISSN=2673-3145 ABSTRACT=

In Libya's protracted conflict setting authoritarian, illiberal and democratic practices are found at local and (inter)national levels. The repeated occurrence of crises in governance and rule of law, such as sudden restriction of civil society or deferred elections, open a window for the emergence of civic practice. Drawing on Kaldor's concept of war and peace logic, with a development ethics perspective this paper examines the strategies used by Libyans to shift the balance between conflict and development. starting with the selection of actors. This Libyan-led process sheds light on the inclusive engagement among actors and draws attention to elements such as trust (in people, laws and institutions), (self-)confidence, accountability, and transparency. Based on Libyan-led co-enquiries, and an analysis of dialogues and actions from an EU-funded rule of law programme, this paper will discuss critically how manifestations of civic logic depend on inclusive actor selection. This paper will demonstrate how the involvement of a wide group of Libyans and their informed dialogue and action offer new perspectives on civic practice, what it demands and how it can be strengthened in times of crisis in governance and rule of law.