Exit the Colonel: The Hidden History of the Libyan Revolution

by Ethan Chorin

In Exit the Colonel, Ethan Chorin, a longtime Middle East scholar and one of the first American diplomats posted to Libya after the lifting of international sanctions, goes well beyond recent reporting on the Arab Spring to link the Libyan uprising to a flawed reform process, egregious human rights abuses, regional disparities, and inconsistent stories spun by Libya and the West to justify the Gaddafi regime's "rehabilitation." Exit the Colonel is based upon extensive interviews with senior US, EU, and Libyan officials, and with rebels and loyalists; a deep reading of local and international media; and significant on-the-ground experience pre- and post-revolution.

The book provides rare and often startling glimpses into the strategies and machinations that brought Gaddafi in from the cold, while encouraging ordinary Libyans to "break the barrier of fear." Chorin also assesses the possibilities and perils for Libya going forward, politically and economically.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Libya, Africa, Middle East

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Expert in US foreign policy and Libya, ex US diplomat, author of four books, including "Translating Libya", "Exit the Colonel" and "Benghazi!: A New History." Former Fulbright fellow (Jordan) and Fulbright Hays Fellow (Yemen), contributor to the New York Times, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Salon.com, Prospect, The National, Newsweek, BBC, Forbes.

Reviews

[Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

[b]Exit the Colonel[/b] by Ethan Chorin ✰✰✰✰

After my review of Tamim Ansary’s [b]Games without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan[/b] (If you haven’t read it yet, you really, really must-it was my number two nonfiction book for 2012.), the publisher gave me the opportunity to review this work on Libya. One would think that given the amount of media attention that Libya gets there would be a plethora of books on the subject, but as I began this book I realized that despite having read well in excess of a hundred books over the years on the Middle East and political Islam, a good history of Libya had slipped through the cracks of my reading list.

Ethan Chorin explained why. Western journalists had always been rather thin on the ground in Libya during the Gaddafi regime, and therefore, modern histories of Libya are a very new literary phenomenon-literally since the fall of Gaddafi. Chorin’s book, which came out in late October of 2012, and covers material he gathered as late as that summer, gives some of the most up-to-date information that readers can find in book form.

There are other books out there that will give you a more comprehensive history of Libya-that is not his intent. Chorin does give some history-essentially what you need to know to understand how Gaddafi was able to maneuver himself into power from a cultural standpoint. He does an excellent job explaining the duality of Libya as a country, the divisiveness that those of the eastern half and those of the western half have always felt towards one another, and the powerful effect that this has in her politics (not to mention her soccer matches-we are not talking friendly rivalries here!)

Obviously, politics plays a huge part in this book, and there is a massive cast of players; I would dearly love a roster at the front of the book listing them all. That said, mine is a pre-publication manuscript, so it is possible that one was added at publication time. A good deal of ink is spread detailing the role not only of Gaddafi, but also of his second eldest son, Saif al-Islam, who was believed by many to be the son whom Gaddafi most wanted to succeed him in power. In addition, many power brokers on the Libyan, U.S., and European fronts are discussed. If you don’t know about Gaddafi’s dealings with Tony Blair and Nicolas Sarkozy, this book will be rather enlightening for you. Mr. Chorin briefly explains the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, which inspired the Libyan rebellion that finally brought down Gaddafi after forty-two years in power. He then goes on to cover about seven months after the fall of Gaddafi in October of 2011, and so the book includes the first faltering steps of the Transitional National Council.

One area in which this book really shines is tracing Libya’s economic journey, both before Gaddafi, through his regime, and after. Ethan Chorin has excellent sources, both inside Libya and outside, and he shows how Libya affects and is affected by global trade. It is interesting to note that in Libya, unlike in Afghanistan and many other countries where the United States and her allies are involved in trying to assist in establishing democratic governments and stabilizing economies in the wake of civil unrest, we are dealing with a country that is well able to pay her own way, as Libya is very rich in natural resources and has the know-how and infrastructure in place to exploit them.

My one major quibble with this book, and the factor which kept it from earning a fifth star has to do with a writing and not a research element, which bothers me to no end, because I feel like it could have been solved so simply. This book makes the most ridiculous overuse of acronyms I have ever encountered. To the point that it renders the book almost unreadable. I quite literally had to begin a crib sheet that I kept in the cover of my e-reader, because I could not remember them all. These are not the acronyms that we all know, such as WMD for weapons of mass destruction-some of these were obscure acronyms for organizations that the average reader of this book is not going to have in their working vocabulary. And the acronym was not just used several times within close proximity of each other; several chapters later an acronym might pop up again-one time out of the blue. Without my crib sheet I would have been lost. Seriously? Would it really have been that difficult to type out the words? It drove me crazy, and it was so unnecessary because simply typing out the unfamiliar names would not have been overly repetitive, as the list of acronyms was MASSIVE. It almost felt like the author put in all the acronyms during his research process, as a form of short-hand, and then in the editing process everyone neglected to go in and write them out for the reader. Or failing that, at least give the reader a list at the beginning of the book with all the acronyms and their interpretations. So, reader, just be aware from the beginning, unless you have a prodigious memory for acronyms, I highly recommend making a list as you go along. I must say, this is the oddest reason I have ever withheld a star from such an excellently researched and written book!

On a more positive note-you needn’t take my word on the merits of this work-Professor Dirk Vandewalle, unarguably the most highly respected scholar regarding Libya, and a professor of government at Dartmouth, says of Chorin’s work, “Chorin's book will undoubtedly remain the best analytical work on Libya and its revolution for a very long time.” Coincidentally, there is a first rate article written by Professor Vandewalle and published in the November/December 2012 issue of [i]Foreign Affairs[/i] magazine, entitled “After Qaddafi: The Surprising Success of the New Libya”; it makes the perfect epilog to Ethan Chorin’s book. On the advice of both Professor Vandewalle (you cannot get better than his, really!), and my own feelings from my reading, I recommend this one to serious readers of nonfiction political history.

[Lidija · Rating 5 out of 5]

i admire ethan chorin. among the diplomats, journalists, and think tank analysts that are currently writing about libya, he seems to be one of those rare beings that's actually fluent in both her dialect and culture. and if you squint a little through the diplomatic, well-measured exterior, you will even find love for the country.

don't go to this volume for sensationalism on gaddafi or for details on the benghazi attack. it is a little dated (case in point: back in 2012, ansar al-shari'a was a "little known group" that had just appeared in the derna area), but you will get an exhaustive and exceptional analysis of gaddafi's rise to power through his gruesome end. the "assessment" chapter in particular was excellent - a game of "what ifs" that are a fascinating read given we now know more about how things shook out (and are continuing to do so) in libya.

highly recommended.

[Joe Amditis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most comprehensive and in-depth look at the events leading up to and after the 2011 Libyan revolution.

[Rhuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the US engineers a revolution - the result is more broken eggs than omelette. This is again the case as demonstrated in Ethan Chorin's take on Libya. Chorin, a policy wonk in the Obama State Department, is an ongoing US point man in Libya's evolving (or dissolving) re-emergence into the world. Chorin's expertise on Libya and the Middle East makes him an excellent go-between. But as to be expected, he firmly backs the US rationalizations for intervention and investment in "nation-building." (But at lest he avoided the conventional weasel phrase "regime change," coined by the policy establishment in Madisonian dread of the R-Word.)

One is simply incredulous at reading on p. 214 that a "pre-cooked American plan" to topple Qaddafi was "unlikely and unmotivated." This statement is belied not only by a long history of US interventions, overt and otherwise; but Chorin's whole presentation of the Qaddafi-US rapprochement over the prior decade. This may not mean the US conspired to get rid of him immediately in 2004, but Libya's opening to "reform" laid the groundwork for 2011. As Chorin outlines in several chapters, Qaddafi and the West dealt with each other only because they had to. The West held the key to the goodies of globalism; Qaddafi was the door to Libyan oil. Growing outside involvement exposed the regime's dry rot to only weaken it further; and revolution, we're told, is merely kicking down a rotten door. "American interests" saw their chance in the Arab Spring to cut out a long-despised, odious middleman whose hand few relished shaking.

Libya was a Bay of Pigs that succeeded, following a long line of such scenarios that CIA powder burns and fingerprints scream for due forensic attention. None can doubt the hatred of Qaddafi was real, as Chorin reiterates the Colonel's bloody deeds old and new. One doesn't stay king of the mountain 42 years without a firm grip of terror at its base. With Libyan elites looking for a way out of their "green curtain," plus regional divisions, and grass roots tribesmen out for blood revenge there were certainly no lack of allies and assets for regime change. The Western "necessity" to pour gas on this smoldering compost is a smoking question Chorin more evades than answers, which in turn only fuels the "conspiracies" he deplores. Qaddafi's fate is a warning to other Third World leaders to be wary of opening to the West: the very ones most anxious to do business with Qaddafi - Berlusconi and Sarkozy in particular - were the first to ditch him and call for his ouster, a lesson in Western Values not lost upon its victims.

Chorin would have us believe that "the obligation to protect" is a viable reason for great power intervention in small and weak countries. This smug imperial alibi been a pretext for conquest since the first Roman sandals trod Libyan sands. His other disingenuous notion is the idea that the West had a "responsibility to level the playing field" because of its prior arming of Qaddafi. The opportunism in this wonkery is obvious. I doubt he or Hillary Clinton would agree the US thus had the "moral imperative" to arm Fidel Castro because of prior arming of Batista; or supporting Mao due to its former aid to Chiang Kai-shek in "killing his own people."

Chorin also cross-steps what is most disturbing in the Colonel's Exit, namely its manner. We see Madame Secretary Clinton issuing the Imperial thumbs down like a Roman proconsul - "he must go!" - showing the law of sovereign nations is just Sunday-go-to-meeting rubbish when Caesar speaks. To be followed by her ghoulish gloating at Qaddafi's lynching: "We came, we saw, he died - ha ha ha!", revealing the moral gap between Western powers and Third World despots is often not as great as vanity has it. The latter, at least, don't travel halfway around the world to kill someone else's people. To rephrase the Sakharov quote on p. 311: "A country that puts the health and welfare of its own people first rarely disrespects the rights of others."

Chorin is formally non-committal on the future of Libya, but offers hopeful assumptions that the Libyan people will not allow their secular freedoms to be lightly snatched from them by the violent and the fanatic. However, Libyan society was already greatly secularized in association with Qaddafi's Green Revolution. As in Iraq and Syria the secular state is in danger of being thrown out with its former leaders. Other dangers lurk in less obvious places. Also on p. 311 Chorin advises that "the US and the West do not have to wait to implement change - they should deliver as much technical assistance as Libya is able, and willing to accept (and pay for)." This suggests that the gravy boat o

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I dreamed of getting a book that is both comprehensive and conveys historical background of Libya, I get this book.

The book does not only tackle modern Libyan history with relation to Gaddafi's ruling or the days that led to his gruesome demise in 2011, it also takes you way back to the 16th century and states how Libya never enjoyed the pleasure of peaceful living due to continuous foreign (eastern & western) exploits and interferences.

I do believe, without exaggeration, that Chorin's work should be, to a great extent, studied by Libyans in specific. There are several historical occurrences that we need to be aware of to understand why others took place, and how they were in part the sole factors of the collapse of our infrastructure leading us to becoming a failed state in modern day Gaddafi's Libya.

Going through recounts of Feb 17 revolution always gives me the chills I felt back then. Tears fill my eyes every time I read 'unarmed peaceful protests'.. let alone the atrocities Gaddafi inflicted upon us.. to which we remained passive for decades.

Chopin provides key dates and names chronologically ranging events roughly since the 70s all the way to 2012, which could definitely come in handy for research and reference.

[Spencer Belyea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was, in a word, disappointing. The writing - and editing - was dreadful, and made it almost impossible to take in and follow the probably interesting insight that Chorin had. But whole sentences were repeated word for word two pages after they first appeared (this happened multiple times!), the International Criminal Court was called the International Crisis Group, and many other errors made it hard to follow what was already a twisting and confusing narrative. Each chapter was broken up into many small subsections, which in general I like, but often one had nothing to do with the next, and sometimes the content of a section would haven nothing to do with its title, or be otherwise addressed elsewhere in the book. I kept at the book because there is not much good stuff out there about Libya, but I was very disappointed in this contribution to the literature, as it doesn't do much to untangle the country's complicated web.

[Mike O · Rating 3 out of 5]

An American diplomat's overview of Libya and description of the circumstances before and during the Libyan revolution. Also a subtle defense of US policy actions toward the actors in that conflict.

Although, a bit dry in some parts with the occasional grammatical error or sentence-for-sentence repetition, one gets a sense of how revolutions can be conducted against oppressive regimes. The rapprochement of the 2000s between Libya and the West is not usually talked about and as such I had no knowledge about its domestic repercussions. It literally sealed Gaddafi's fate. This is very good news as African dictators are bound to go down this route sooner or later. Once a little is given, any reform of any sort, there's hope. I just pray that which ever nation comes next manages the aftermath better than in Libya.

[Gary Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, BUT... While Chorin's knowledge of the country and his extensive research is beyond reproach, the book suffers from what I can only assume is lack of editing; verbatim repetition of lines and paragraphs; misspelled words, incomplete sentences. But the worst of it was in Part III, concerning the 2011 Civil War and NATO intervention. Chorin keeps jumping back & forth in time. Not years, but months or even weeks, so it's difficult to tell in what order certain critical things happened.

But if you're interested in The Arab Spring or the fall of Qaddafi, you need this book.

[Jenazepol · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5; it is an accessible read on the history of Libya revolution. Just be noted that the author finished writing this book in June 2012, so his present analysis is now outdated since the start of the Second Libyan Civil War. However, his history of Libya in the 20th century up to 2012 is solid and informative.

[Nils · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Arab Spring erupted in the winter of 2011, the first three countries embroiled were Tunisia, then Egypt, and then Libya. While the events in Cairo’s Tahrir Square received vast majority of the international media coverage, the events in Libya were in their own way more dramatic, as a bloody nine month civil war ensued that culminated in the capture, torture, and summary execution of the long-serving dictator Muammar Qaddafi by a Misratan militia group – an event captured on a cell phone video camera and quickly uploaded to YouTube.

Ethan Chorin served as a U.S. foreign service officer in Libya from 2004 to 2006, during a pivotal moment of Libya’s political evolution, and his Exit the Colonel provides an excellent account not just of the historical evolution of Qaddafi’s long dictatorship, but also Libya’s political prospects in the post-Qaddafi era. Based on deep reading in Libya’s political and literary history – Chorin is also the translator of a collection of contemporary Libyan short stories – as well as interviews with dozens of members of the former Qaddafi regime as well as participants in the 2011 Revolution, Chorin’s book is the best insider’s account of the revolution so far published in English. Chorin remains cautiously optimistic about Libya’s future: while Exit the Colonel makes clear that anyone expecting a rapid consolidation of democratic stability is likely to be disappointed, Chorin also rejects the doomsayers in the West who scry in post-revolutionary Libya the next Al Qaeda safe haven-in-the-making.

As Chorin makes clear, Libya today faces a variety of unpleasant possible future scenarios. While a legitimate democratic order seems just barely possible, ongoing chaos and further political fragmentation is also a distinct possibility. The scenario of Libya turning into “a Somalia with Oil” looms as a frightening possibility. This risk also creates opportunities for political entrepreneurs of various stripes to potentially emerge with their own visions. Salafis, for example, have combined efforts to provide health care and education in various communities with the imposition of harsh forms of local justice – public lashings of unveiled women and petty thieves, for example. While the broader Libyan population is unsympathetic to the religious hardliners’ theological purism, they may be swayed by the desire for order and social services. In sum, the ability to restore order remains the great unclaimed prize in Libyan politics, and whoever succeeds in seizing this possibility will have the whip hand in defining Libya’s future.

[Dashoge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative account but not written in the most engaging way. There were also some sloppy grammar errors in it but overall a fairly decent account of the lead up to, and fallout of, Gaddafi's downfall.

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rushed to production, I think. Probably good reading for a class or for experts in the field, but pretty dry overall.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content itself was interesting but I found his writing hard to read, he often repeated a sentence or phrase verbatim twice in the same paragraph or page.

[Stephen Boiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some what inforative.