Libya

Flag of Libya

### Anthem

النشيد الوطني لإمارة برقة العربية (National Anthem Of The Arab Emirate Of Cyrenaica)

### Head of State

Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi (1937 - )

### Head of Government

Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi (1937 - )

### Population (core territory)

Around 1 million

**Libya** Officially the **Kingdom of Libya** is the weakest member of the Cairo Pact, but not the weakest in Africa. It is a Unitary Absolute Monarchy with all authority lying in the power of the monarch being more absolutist than Russia in some regards, it is ruled by the house of Senussi. Libya fought on the side of the Cairo Pact during the Arab revolution gaining the Ottoman province of Tripolitania as a reward. Libya was formed in 1843 however it was only an official nation in the aftermath of the First Weltkrieg in 1917. Libya like all members of the Cairo Pact did not participate in the Second Weltkrieg and Libya had very little need to get involved in the war given that it did not feel the same Arab nationalism as Egypt. Libya is a member of the Cairo Pact but unlike its allies it does not hold the same grudges against the French Republic and thus is still officially neutral in the Kalterkrieg. Libya however is economically reliant on Egypt given that Libya is still underdeveloped.

## History

In 1936 Libya was not known as Libya but rather as Cyrenaica and was officially a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. However the Anti-Imperial feelings that had applied to Italy 20 years prior had not gone away and Libya was starting to chafe underneath the Ottoman yolk. And then the Black Monday Crisis occurred, while not as devastating to Libya given that it had very little outside trade aside from the Ottoman port of Benghazi. However the effects of it were still felt and it was a prime conditions for a little bit of outside metteling. The Egyptians wished to replace the Pro-Ottoman ruler with one that would align with their own beliefs and after a short coup a new Emir was put in charge, Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi. He would move the capital to Giarabub as a relatively safe location from potential Ottoman reprisals. Egypt and Libya would scheme along with other nations in the Cairo Conference to finally end the Ottoman Empire. It was clear to everyone else what Libya's role was to be in the war. It was to take the Ottoman province of Tripolitania to close that front as fast as possible. However Idris had absolutely no interest in such a thing however he was eventually forced by his own advisors to take the opportunity to unite the Libyan people lest he get replaced with his exiled Uncle. Libya would spend the next year preparing its forces and making war plans while hoping that Egypt would send support. Soon the Syrian Revolution rolled around in 1939 and the Arab Revolution would begin and Libya was quick to action. Benghazi would fall as the local people rebelled against the Ottoman garrison throwing open the gates to the soldiers. Tripolitania however would be a different story with most of the Rural areas rebelling but the Urban areas remaining loyal given the massive presence of Ottoman troops. There were enough soldiers in Tripoli to be able to push back the Libyans and it was clear that without support the offensive would fail and Libya could fall to the Ottoman empire. This would prompt Egypt to send in its soldiers onto the front and they would quickly reverse the direction of the front to the west and Tripoli would fall after a month long siege. Libya would see little action during the war aside from the occasional raid from the Ottoman navy who would blockade the Libyan coast and the mouth of the Nile. Soon the war would be over and the Treaty of Cairo would solidify the Libyan gains. The Capital would be moved to Benghazi given the larger port there and it being more culturally accepting of the Senussi's compared to the still pro-Ottoman Tripoli. When the Second Weltkrieg began the Libyans were effected by the proximity of the fighting in the Mediterranean. Libya would in fact become a place of refugee for many Italians fleeing to find their brothers in the cities. This would cause a rise in the popularity of Liberalism within the west continuing the divides between Tripoli and Benghazi. This would continue into 1943 with the fall of Socialist Italy and the cessation of fighting in the region. However this was not the end of Libya's woes with the outbreak of the internal leadership crisis within the Cairo Pact. Libya due to it's economic ties is forced to take the side of Egypt, no matter how much it may want to take sides with Arabia. Should Libya be able to break off its economic alliance it could swing the scales in the favor of Arabia or Persia should compromise be made with the nobles. Libya's future is intimately intertwined with that of the rest of the Middle East given Libya's lack of influence over the other members of the Cairo Pact.

## Military

Libya's military is by far the weakest in the Cairo pact only consisting of a few undersupplied forces that are woefully outdated. Libya's army is comprised of less than 10 divisions that are at half strength given that the men are desperately needed for the development of the country. Libya's navy is very weak and is basically considered non-existent by most contemporary sources. Libya does not have an air force given the costs of maintaining one.