We’re about three years into post-Gadhafi Libya now, and the question of how much longer Libya has as a viable state, or indeed whether it’s fair to call it a single state at all anymore, is looming larger than ever.
Libya has always been a loose confederation of cities, with people identifying primarily with the city they are from, and not the nation itself. The post-Gadhafi government has struggled with city-based militias from the start, and now seems to be crumbling outright.
Tripoli is basically lost to the Misrata militia, while what remains of the Libyan military, chiefly under the control of coup general Khalifa Hifter, is trying to take over Benghazi, but running into losses against another large militia, Ansar al-Sharia.
The new parliament is once again backing former Defense Minister Abdullah al-Thinni as premier, but it’s a parliament in exile, operating out of the eastern city of Tobruk, and even there only at the pleasure of another city-based militia.
The parliament, such as it is, keeps pushing Western intervention, while Gen. Hifter is getting backing from the Egyptian junta, but there is no sign either is liable to really secure control of a significant portion of the nation, and where the nation of Libya once stood, an array of city-states seem to be emerging.
Happy with your NATO-imposed “freedom”,.Libyans? Miss Gaddafi *yet*?
Good. Returning to the pre-European, artificial colony – to the ancient tribal City-States. That's an improvement.
Actually just about all the countries of North Africa and the middle east are somewhat artificial in nature.
Libya problems are results of outside interferences and intrigues.The United Arab Emirates,Saudi Arabia,Egypt ,and France.The United Arab Emirates led by Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi has spent very huge amount of money in destabilizing Libya in order to bring certain Libyans who are residing in UAE to power in Libya under guise of fighting Islamist similar to plot that was undertaken in Egypt.He has used every means,and spared no expense in support of the faction that he wants and thinks ought to rule over Libya in the same fashion Sissi of Egypt now rule Egypt.He has become very obsessed with how other countries should be run and who should run them.He exhibit great deal of paranoia about that.He is in constant fear of the idea that people in any Arab country should be able to decide their own form of government or elect who should govern them.So he is doing every thing to abort that.
And most of the news coming out Libya is very selective and full of misinformation ,omission and commissions,and in many instants outright fabrications.It s no different from the coverage of what is happenings with regard to Russia and Ukraine.It is the same sources and the same agenda.
All western cities have forces in Tripoli under the western and central Libyan military commands.
In Benghazi leading the fight against wanna be new Libya dictator Gen. Hifter is majjlis Al Shura of Benghazi,The Majlis al-Shura (consultative council , not Ansar al-Sharia..Most of Libya is actually against Hafter whom most Libyans suspect of hunger for power and being financed overwhelmingly by the United Arab Emirates and watched over by the the Egyptian military junta that overthrew the first freely elected president in Egypt and they want a dictatorship like theirs in Libya.They have their agents and agent provocateurs creating havoc in the country.They were behind many of unsolved bombings,killings and crimes that have plague the country..
By the way, the so called parliament is actually operating from a car ferry docked in the port which shows how much support it has!
What taking place in Libya is not something that just happened .It is very well planned and meticulously orchestrated campaign to bring to power individuals and or groups that meet and have the approval and support of some foreign entities that do not care at all about the Libya its interests or its people.And they will do anything to eliminate and destroy any one who stands in their way or oppose them by every means.And since they sense that their stooges and puppets are losing on the ground ,and losing support among Libyans ,they now are advocating for interventions to rescue them under so many false pretexts.
The UAE chose its allies on a regional and tribal basis, singling out militias in Zintan in the west. Qatar, its Gulf neighbour and rival, funnelled its support to Islamist brigades, especially in Misrata.
It has been rumoured for weeks that the Emiratis have been discreetly backing General Khalifa Haftar, the renegade Libyan general who presents himself as the only man who can save his chaotic country from the depredations of Islamists he dismisses as terrorists.
Gen. Haftar, like the UAE and Egypt, makes no distinction between the Muslim Brotherhood, who have taken part in elections, and dyed-in-the-wool jihadis such as Ansar al-Sharia.
Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE was dismayed by the overthrow and U.S. abandonment of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak. Now it is the leading supporter of Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi. The Emiratis have since bankrolled Egypt and advised it on economic reform — with the help of Tony Blair.
The UAE backs individuals who challenge its enemies: Ahmed Shafiq, the candidate beaten by Morsy in 2012, is based in Abu Dhabi. Persistent rumours suggest Emirati sponsorship of Mohammed Dahlan, Yasser Arafat’s former security chief and a sworn enemy of Hamas, the [Qatari-backed] Islamist movement that rules Gaza — Dahlan’s home turf. Competition with Qatar remains an important motive, UAE-watchers say.
Emirati assertiveness has been felt, too, in relations with its western allies, including Britain, a leading trading partner. Last year the UAE became the first Arab country to send an ambassador to NATO — not surprising for a country that spends most of its defence budget on weapons bought from the U.S., U.K. and France.
There's a state in Libya today? Libya is looking like Somalia 20 years ago. This is the direct result of the U.S. led destruction of the stable state the had existed before 2011. The Libyan people did not overthrow their government in 2011. It was destroyed by outside aggression.