One year after the deadly attack in Benghazi that claimed the lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, the Libya Working Group–a joint initiative of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, the Project on Middle East Democracy, and Freedom House–convened a panel discussion to assess developments in Libya and the role of the United States and the international community in supporting its democratic transition.

Mustafa Abushagur, former interim deputy prime minister of Libya and chairman of a Tripoli-based think tank; Manal Omar of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); and Ambassador William Taylor of USIP, and previously the first special coordinator for Middle East transitions at the US Department of State shared their insights and analysis on the dynamics at play. The speakers discussed the incremental steps forward in Libya’s transition, continued security challenges, and the importance of transparent, inclusive national dialogue and constitution-making processes.

The event coincided with the Libya Working Group’s release of an open letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry with the support of twenty-eight signatories, including foreign policy experts, academics, and prominent Libyan-Americans. The letter calls for renewed and more robust US engagement in Libya’s transition.

Related Experts: Karim Mezran