What emerged in Iraq after the fall of Mr. Hussein’s government was a society of everyone for themselves, individually and in small groups, grabbing for what they could get — literally, through looting, and eventually through the political process. This has made many Iraqis weary of the chaos of Iraqi-style democracy. Increasingly, they want a strong hand — elected by the people — to wield power.

From the cafe here, where other men were playing dominoes and backgammon, smoking hookahs and drinking tea, these veterans of national turmoil provided armchair advice for the Libyans. Their insights, not exactly brimming with appreciation for democracy, were illustrative of the problems that still plague Iraq and, they suspect, will await Libya if its people do not act quickly.

Among their advice: Do not trust expatriates who rush back to stake a claim in the new government. Avoid a parliamentary system. And do not ostracize members of the former regime, as happened in Iraq under the so-called de-Baathification policy.

“People came from the outside to run Iraq, and they didn’t understand the suffering we had lived through,” said Firas Abdul Hadi, 28, an engineer in the office of the mayor of Baghdad, referring to how Iraqis who fled the country under Mr. Hussein’s rule tried to claim power when they returned.

“They came back and claimed to be patriotic,” he said. “The Libyans should vote for people who suffered like them. People who were abroad didn’t feel what they did.”