Lybia has been under decades of dictatorship by Colonel MoammarGadhafi.Most of the riches and opportunity has been contained in the western part of Libya where I am from. The eastern part of the country has been mistreated and forgotten. We’ve seen heavy war break out over the past eight months. This began in the eastern section called Benghazi when the people could take no more of Ghadafi’s unfair treatment of Lybia’s people and hording of riches in Tripoli, the capital.My country is at an advantage because of the rich supply of sweet crude produced. We export to Europe, Russia, and China who value us because of our oil supply.
Col Gadhafi is now on the run. The rebels, known as the Transitional National Council (TNC) has overthrown Tripoli and have temporarily taken over the government. Even dismissing most cabinets in an attempt to start from scratch.Recently, the new government was recognized by more than 60 nations belonging to the UN. They have vowed to help rebuild the judicial system, educational infrastructure, and constitution. My country is blessed to have almost $90 billion in assets available to the new government. We are now rebuilding our government. The TNC is basically in charge, but there are remaining discontent between eastern and western people. There is mistrust and suspicion. Also, there are ideological differences. Many who are raising up to take charge are of the Islamic faith, which many rebels feel should not be a part of the decision making. There are many tribes in my country and they all want a say in the decisions to be made. We will need elections and this could be a positive or negative experience.
To be adequately prepared to face the next steps for Libya, I will need an interdisciplinary mind. We will be tasked with building government, re-negotiating contracts with other countries, reviewing laws, and creating a foundation for our educational system. To be a leader in this environment, I will need to study, understand and apply several diverse disciplines. If my organization is to serve the people, I can’t focus solely on government; I must know all I can about each leg of our rebuilding process or I will miss the mark.The design of our country is extremely important right now for all of our futures. The environment is volatile as the TNC is beginning to experience in-fighting. All of us should be able to utilize the literacy of Deep Design. However, as a NGO leader, I must step up and be a part of this process, partnering with my governmental leaders to aid as an objective advisor. In deep design, first you frame the design by looking at the environment. The large countries want to be our allies, and they did help overthrow Ghadafi, but they now want their piece of the oil pie. Countries such as Algeria has supported Ghadafi in the past and even took in his wife and children. Other countries around us have not recognized TNC or supported us. Now, what decisions must we make about this? Next, focus in on the most strategic issues. We have many. For me, how can I prepare my organization to be viable and resilient? Should I focus more on building stronger partnerships with external countries as we still need to import 90% of our food via the Mediterrian. Or should I begin to build my own presence as a strong Libyan organization raising my own funds, and one that external countries will seek for partnership. How much time should I spend advising and working to partner with the new government? A disciplined mind will help me understand and determine what strategies are possible given the resources at hand and the shaky ground we are in and will be in for the next few years. I will work to experiment by enacting my strategies and then co-evolve with me country.
I will need to posses a synthesizing mind in the wake of the challenges ahead for Libya. There are many different views represented in Libya; tribes, regions, and divided areas. We will need to pull everyone together for a unified effort to rebuild our country. I must understand how to appreciate the long-held divide of my country and work on way to synthesize all wants and needs. Should we continue to acquire and distribute aid to our country, who should receive it and in what quantities? Before we simply distributed to everyone in the east as they are the poorest and most neediest casualties of war. Now, with the possibility of a distributed wealth, how will Hope for Libya look at our country holistically and define that in our organizational strategy? The leaders of our country must be able to bring together a divided people with one unifying message. Perhaps my organization can help with that, but first I must be able to synthesize in my own mind and understand what the message is on a micro level. As I said, I am originally from the West. How can I use this to unity my country? Can my understanding of both sides aid in restoring unity?In order for my organization to thrive, I must understand the literacy of Networked Intelligence. First, we must bring our country together through internal networks of flowing information and collaboration. We have almost been a country of small countries. We don’t know one another. A network would allow us to remain somewhat separate in that we have different ideologies or customs, but unified as we are connected through intelligence, information, collaborative thought, strategy, and policy. My organization can be a part of this effort. I must understand complexity science; organizations as ecosystems, self-organization, emergence, etc. and apply them to my own organization. Libya will also need to reach out and create a network with the world. We are all connected. We must not remain separate, but connect with the global economy. We can become a sound force in this landscape, but only if we co-evolve with the rest of the world.
I am lucky enough to be standing at a pivotal point for our country. We get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create our future. I have the opportunity to create the future of my organization. We can become an integral part of Libya’s success. I must have the ability to be creative. I cannot get mired in old traditions and paradigms. Some of our history must be preserved, but now is the time to create. My country has been given a blank slate, now we must begin writing our history. In this same token, Hope for Libya may need to change their name and identity. Perhaps we will be “Moving Libya Forward” or “Create Libya”. I, along with my staff and external network will need to be creative as taken on this daunting task. We also must consider the women in this country, many of which aided so mightily in toppling Ghadafi. How w ill they fit in?So engage in the act of futuring, I must have peripheral vision. This means having the ability to see all around me all the time. As I set about creating a future, it is important for me to be adaptable to sudden changes, be willing to shift strategies based on global trends, and understand the current and ever-evolving needs of my fledgling country.
Finally, I must uphold the highest of ethical and respectful standards as we proceed. In this volatile time, it would be easy to begin plotting to received lumps of money from the UN, US, or EU to fund my growth and like some other NGO’s set my agenda according to their plans. If I’m to be committed to Libya, then my first allegiance is to its successful growth and resilience. I hope that my organization can aid the government in setting an ethical agenda. Right now there are already growing concerns that the interim power establishment is not listening to the people, that they are setting their own agendas, and some are suspected of plotting to use the vast resources available to the country without input from the people. There are still many weapons in the hands of the people and unrest and mistrust. We need a leader who can model ethics and respectfulness. How do we transition from militia to government?Similar to peripheral vision, I must use the literacy of strategic navigation. I should be able to plan in real time given my knowledge of the past, present, and understanding of future global trends. What are the most pressing issues in my country? Where should by organization focus? I must be able to make decisions to build my organization as a CAS, a living breathing organization that can live in the moment. I will be a part of this organization, but not necessarily make the decisions. I must incorporate technologies into my organization so we are in touch with emerging trends that will help us evolve. We must learn quickly and have an open flow of information from the world. I can build this by building internal networks linked with external, understanding collaboration, and allowing for self-organized patterns. All of this, of course, will be driven by an ethical view of our operations and our place on the Earth.
My name is Muhammad. And I am a NGO leader who will have an effect on Libya’s past, present, and future.We have one last hurdle—the city of Surt, Ghadafi’s birthplace. Then, I pray the fighting will be over.
