Book Review: Ruining Revolution: How International Islamist and Salafi Forces Have Held Libya Hostage Since 2011

This review examines Inga K. Trauthig’s Ruining Revolution: How International Islamist and Salafi Forces Have Held Libya Hostage Since 2011 (2025), which analyses the roles of the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi-Madkhali networks in Libya’s post-2011 political and security landscape. The book argues that these two movements, despite differing ideologies and modes of influence, displayed limited moderation after becoming embedded in post-revolutionary institutions. The author assesses moderation through three dimensions—renunciation of violence, cooperation, and compromise—and compares the Brotherhood’s engagement through formal political institutions with the Madkhali movement’s influence through religious and security structures. Drawing on interviews, primary sources, political documents, sermons, propaganda materials, and social media content, the book explores how different pathways to influence shaped post-revolutionary governance and competition.