Libya

The West is Accelerating its Strategic Decline

By François Heisbourg, Financial Times

[T]he west was inevitably going to lose some of its ability to set the global agenda and to conduct foreign military operations. This process has been accelerated by the west’s economic slowdown since 2007.

Libya’s Lessons on Syria

By Karim Mezran, Jason Pack, Haley Cook

Boxed into a corner by U.S. President Barack Obama’s “red line” that the Assad regime has crossed with its apparent use of chemical weapons on August 21, the United States finds itself on the verge of intervening militarily in Syria’s increasingly brutal and complex civil war.

NATO Must Help Obama on Syria

By James G. Stavridis, New York Times

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization must be part of an international effort to respond to the crisis in Syria, beginning immediately with punitive strikes

Jobs for Guns in Libya

By Svetlana Milbert and Lara Talverdian

The wave of violence and instability that has gripped Libya over the last few months continues to undermine political progress and threatens to derail economic developments.

The Libyan economy after the revolution: Still no clear vision

By Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran

In the latest issue brief from the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center, authors Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran evaluate the Libyan economy and progress since popular uprisings in February 2011 and the eventual ouster of the Muammar Qaddafi regime. Virtually all economic activity, especially oil production (the mainstay of the Libyan economy) witnessed a dramatic […]

Is Libya Finally Walking the Walk?

By Karim Mezran

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan has announced the launch of a national dialogue initiative to address some of the most important challenges hindering the country’s progress toward a pluralistic and transparent political system.

The Libyan Economy after the Revolution: Still No Clear Vision

Most headlines out of Libya today are about the political and security crises gripping the country, and little has been said about the state of the economy beyond a recent spate of oil export disruptions. Hariri Center Senior Fellows Mohsin Khan and Karim Mezran recently authored an issue brief evaluating Libya’s underlying structural economic problems […]

Zidan Between a Rock and a Hard Place?

By Karim Mezran

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan has a full plate as he tries to steer the country towards empowering state institutions and building a nation. The recent resignation of his deputy prime minister, Awadh al-Barassi, followed by the shocking resignation of Interior Minister Mohammed Khalifa al-Sheikh after his appointment less than four months ago, point to […]