Libya

Libya: Update from the Field

Libya’s democratic promise is more precarious than ever. On the one hand, the government recently reached a deal with armed groups to end a year-long blockade of critical oil fields, and the election commission released final results from the recent parliamentary elections. On the other, a political struggle is taking on an increasingly violent dimension, […]

Three Steps to Pull Libya Out of its Crisis

By Karim Mezran

If recent days’ events are any indication, Libya is rapidly descending into chaos. The latest clashes began with the attack on the main international airport in Tripoli, with rival militias pitted against one another in an armed struggle, fomenting anarchy and bringing the country to the brink of civil war.

Time is Running Out for the Libyan Economy

By Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran

As Libya spirals out of control, a robust, public discourse about the political and security situation among authorities and policymakers in Tripoli and in Western capitals is strikingly absent.

Acknowledging the Corn in Libya’s Wild West

Known for its crime, smuggling, and a rise in Islamic militant activity, Libya’s southwestern border region of Fezzan evokes images of a dry, lawless, and uncontrollable desert with a tribal flare.

Libya’s Southwest: Important to Understanding Country’s Security Crisis

As Libya’s political crisis deepens and violent clashes mount, attention to the transitioning country has largely focused on the weak government in Tripoli and the tumultuous eastern region. The largely ignored southwestern party of the country known as the Fezzan, however, presents another set of challenges, with porous borders, ethnic and tribal tensions, and a […]

Libya: Never Give Up

By Karim Mezran

Libyans woke up on Thursday to the dramatic news of the brutal murder of Salwa Bugaighis. A political activist, lawyer, and human rights defender, Bugaighis was known for her passionate involvement since the 2011 revolution in fighting to protect Libya’s fragile transition to democracy.