The Role of International Interventions in Prolonging the Libyan Conflict and Their Implications for Regional Stability : An Analytical Study (2011–2025)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of international interventions in prolonging the Libyan conflict, highlighting their significant contribution to fueling internal disputes and transforming them into a complex conflict with regional and international dimensions. The study examines the underlying motives behind foreign interventions that are often justified by claims of protecting civilians and supporting stability, arguing that these justifications serve as a means to achieve strategic interests. Such interventions have contributed to the fragmentation of the social fabric, the destruction of state institutions, and the weakening of the foundations of the state in ways that serve external interests. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, supported by an interpretive framework based on the theories of internationalization of internal conflicts and proxy wars, in order to understand the interaction between external actors and internal parties. The findings reveal a clear conflict of interests among intervening powers, weak commitment to international legitimacy, and the fragmentation of the military institution, all of which have contributed to the prolonged internal conflict. Furthermore, the study emphasizes that internal conflicts pose a threat to regional stability, particularly in the Libyan context, given its strategic geographical location. The collapse of institutional structures has led to widespread instability, the proliferation of weapons, and the growth of smuggling networks and irregular migration, prompting external actors to intervene under the pretext of managing the crisis and proposing pathways for state-building and institutional restoration.