Third International Theory

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The Third International Theory or Third Universal Theory refers to the style of Government described by Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi in the early 1970s, on which his goverment, the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, was officially based. It was partly inspired by Islamic socialism and Arab nationalism and partly by the principles of direct democracy. It was printed in a Green Book that was required reading for all Libyans and this Green Book is said to have been inspired in part by The Little Red Book (Quotations from Chairman Mao).

Key provisions of the Third International Theory are outlined in the Green Book: http://www.mathaba.net/gci/theory/gb.htm

Islamic Socialism?

I was surprised to hear on BBC's analysis of "Libya's Islamic Capitalists" that he had written a text such as this. My image of Gaddafi has wavered from crafty old leader playing his cards right, to crazed violent dictator, and now... a thinker and islamic socialist? Him, having written something attempting to respond to capitalism and communism and to make it suitable for arab states... That kind of surprises me.

How did it go so wrong? How did something as well-intentioned, meant to change the system and avoid the evils of both wrecked western economies and communist systems, end up being worse in application for the people of Libya? What is wrong with ideology these days?

"With Colonel Gaddafi gone, Hugh Miles asks if Libya could transform itself into an Islamic capitalist model for the entire Middle East." - and BBC's suggestion on analysis? - oil money ruined it all. Yes nothing ever works in practice. Also, they asked a natural specialist/analyst to comment on what libya should look towards as an example of how it should build itself. The presenter notes that there are other obvious islamic countries that seem to be doing well like Malaysia and Turkey. But this is what the analyst said:

"To make me a happy man again, I would like it to be Singapore. But the least they can do is to look at Tunisia..."

And then Libyan citizens were interviewed on what they would like to make Libya like. A number of them said they want Libya to be developed like NORWAY! Hehe. So unexpected to put Libya and Norway in the same sentence considering the ostensible differences, but its important that people have big dreams and want to build great great things...