Pop quiz: What is Benghazi? A, a place, B, a revolution, or C, an attack? Any clue? Well regardless your answer, you’re probably right because trick question, it depends on when you’re being asked? Before Benghazi became synonymous with a terrorist attack on American citizens, it was a city experiencing turmoil in the state of Libya located on the edge of the African continent.

A year before the Benghazi attack occurred, Libya, along with other states in North Africa and the Middle East, were experiencing mass protest for government reform – collectively known as the Arab Spring. Starting in Tunisia, a country to the North West of Libya, unemployed twenty- six year old Mohamed Bouazizia set himself ablaze in front of a government building after being repeatedly harassed by local officials asking for bribes or threatening to confiscate his merchandise at his refusal since they knew he was selling without a permit. But Mohamed continued to sale regardless due to a need to support his widowed mother and six siblings. His final straw arrived though when a policewoman humiliated him publicly by slapping him. Captured on camera, Mohamed unknowing become a martyr. Within days, rallies popped up across the country against unemployment, poverty, and the government’s misuse of power, calling for Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, their president at the time, and his regime to step down. Wanting to remain in power and continue his twenty-four year reign, Ben Ali opposed the protesters by sending out troops to disperse the crowds, apparently with excessive violence according to international criticism from the United States. “I condemn and deplore the use of violence against citizens peacefully voicing their opinion in Tunisia, and I applaud the courage and dignity of the Tunisian people,” spoke Barack Obama. Attempting to comply with the protestors and gain favor over the situation, Ben Ali promised he would not serve another term after completing the remaining three years of his current term as well as reducing food prices and releasing some of the restrictions over the internet. But the protestors were not sated and the situation escalated, climaxing with a state of emergency being declared as Ben Ali fled the country leaving prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi as interim president, and re-elections occurring in six months.

Although not smooth, the success of Tunisia’s rebellion inspired countries in its surrounding area to follow their lead and overthrow the dictators of their corresponding counties. Egypt, another example of a country participating in the Arab Spring, attempted rebellion with mixed results. While they were able to overthrow their President Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled for thirty years, the absence of an official power left the country in dishevel with protestors who had once agreed, now feuding. Left under the leadership of the military, things were far from well, but Egypt no longer had a dictator like leader and was considered a success.

If ranked on a scale from success to failure, Tunisia would be a success, Egypt would be in the middle, and Libya closer to failure.

On February 15, 201l, after the detainment of human rights lawyer Fethi Tarbel, anti-government rallies were held calling for the release of political prisoners and the denouement of Muammar al-Qaddafi from the position of president. In response to the anti-government demonstrations, Libyan officials conducted and televised a counter protest, pro-government, using violence to disperse the protestors. First using water hoses and rubber bullets, the violence intensified as the revolution spread to other cities like Tripoli where many ambassador and envoys were staying. Regressing from rubber bullets to mercenaries firing live ammunition into crowds and killing demonstrators by the masses, the regime only got worse, now restricting communication with the international community by blocking the internet and interfering with telecommunication.

Regardless of al-Qaddafi’s attempts to mask his violence towards his citizens, the international community responded in solidarity against his regime by flying Libya’s pre-Qaddafi flag. Discrepancy was also seen in al-Qaddafi’s own government as the minister of justice and a number of Libyan diplomats resigned in protest. Even members of the military were conflicted, as some members chose to defect instead of serve under al-Qaddafi commands.

But as the al-Qaddafi attempts to maintain his position in power progressively got more and more violent and nearer to international ambassadors, countries were forced to evacuate their ambassadors. Although, this did not completely inhibit international effort to detain al-Qaddafi. The UN Security Council agreed to place sanctions against al-Qaddafi, effectively placing a travel ban and embargo on weapons. Individual countries also placed their own sanctions such as the United States who announced they had at least frozen thirty billion of al-Qaddafi assets.

International effort to force al-Qaddafi to step down would only continue to increase as intergovernmental organizations debated the best way to break the stalemate between al-Qaddafis forces and the rebaling citizens. Was a diplomatic solution still achievable, or was military intervention required? IGOs such as African Union and the Arab Nations strictly wanted to avoid military intervention but on March 27 2011, NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization took command of  military operations. Even so, it still took further intervention from more countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Italy to aid rebel forces through military advisement without the advisor actually participating in the conflict. Eventually, months later in August 2011, the stalemate began to break as the Transitional National Council, a merger of local rebel groups, began to assume power and officially overthrew al-Qaddafi regime in September 2011.

It would be an entire year, until the Benghazi attack occurred on September 11, 2012 when United States Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans –information officer Sean Smith and Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods–  would be killed.

To be discussed on the next episode of Overly Complicated, Who was Ambassador Christopher Stevens and why was he in Benghazi, Libya in the first place.