Description
Although Libya did not host a UN peacekeeping force after the fall of the Gadhafi regime in 2011, international actors -under the coordination of the UN Support Mission in Libya- supported the state building and security reconstruction efforts of the Libyan authorities in the following years, though to a limited extent. Turkey was surely one of the (non-Western) states that actively involved in these international efforts. Thus, this paper aims to critically analyse the main motivations and outcomes of Turkey’s Security Sector Reform (SSR)-related activities in Libya since 2011, and, examine if and how they differ from those of the Western states in terms of norm and practice. The paper maintains that Turkey’s SSR-related engagement in Libya should be analysed comparatively in two different periods: 2011-2014 and post-2019. It also argues that while the first period activities were more in accordance and coordination with other international actors, the second period engagement was more guided by Turkey’s geo-strategic/economic interests in the region. The research is based on a thorough analysis of the news, official announcements, international agreements, legislations, and, parliamentary debates on Turkey’s SSR-related activities in Libya in both periods.
