Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Mustafa Fetouri
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What is behind the thaw in relations between Libya and the EU?
Over the past three weeks many European Union officials have queued up in the capital of Libya, Tripoli, to offer their support to the country’s newly-elected interim authority, the Government of National Unity (GNU), and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. They also sought to influence the new authority over the…
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Can Libya’s new authority succeed in cutting Haftar’s foreign links?
Self-styled Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar is a serious hurdle facing the Government of National Unity (GNU). He could prove to be a more complex issue than initially expected, taking time and patience to resolve. It is misleading to assume that dealing with Haftar is an easy political-military issue. How he…
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Remembering the Deir Yassin massacre 73 years later
Deir Yassin is a Palestinian village situated on a hilltop, a short distance from the west of Jerusalem. If you try to find it on a map today, you will be disappointed, as the village has been completely razed to the ground. In its place, in 1951, the newly-created State…
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Is France honest in embracing Libya’s new government?
On 29 March, the French Embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, was reopened after seven years of closure. The new embassy relocated from the upscale Al-Andalus neighbourhood, west of Tripoli, to a new building near the city centre, where security is relatively better. The old building was attacked by a…
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Six obstacles on the road to Libya’s December elections
On 10 March, Libya’s new interim government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), won the parliamentary vote of confidence and was sworn in on 15 March. Its agenda is already set in the roadmap drawn up by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) last November. New Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh…
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Algeria is going to the polls in June: Is this victory for the Hirak Movement?
In a televised speech on 11 March, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dissolved the lower house of parliament, the People’s National Assembly, triggering new legislative elections. However, he did not specify an election date. The country’s constitution dictates that polling must occur within three months after the national assembly is dissolved.…
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Remembering Operation Odyssey Dawn, ten years on
Operation Odyssey Dawn, launched on 19 March, 2011, was the code name for the US military intervention in Libya vaguely authorised by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1973. The assumption was that Libyan civilians were being killed, displaced and bombed by the Libyan government of Muammar Gaddafi because they…
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Libya’s ceasefire: Hold your fire, but be ready to fire
On 23 October, Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) agreed to a country-wide ceasefire which has been holding ever since, with the exception of little wars and episodes of violence in different parts of Libya. The commission comprises an equal number of military officers representing the main warring sides –…
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What awaits Libya’s novice prime minister-designate
Libya’s designated Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, in his first press conference on 25 February, did not name the expected cabinet line-up. Many, in Libya and abroad, eagerly awaited the unveiling of the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the novice politician was elected by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum…
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The United Nations and Libya: The habit of putting the cart before the horse
As the international body entrusted with world peace, security and conflict mediation worldwide, the United Nations (UN) has been involved in Libya’s internal conflict from the very start. This involvement came quickly – somewhat hastily and ill-advised from day one. Over the years, the UN became part of the conflict,…
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Some Libyans do not want democracy 10 years after NATO forced it upon them
Wednesday marked ten years since the start of the Libyan uprising against the government of Muammar Gaddafi. France’s military intervention was eventually ushered in before the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the strongest military alliance in history, took over. After seven months of around-the-clock air bombardment, Gaddafi’s government was toppled…
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In conversation with the Italian admiral hoping to bring peace to Libya
In an interview with MEMO, Commander of Operation IRINI Rear Admiral Fabio Agostini disputes the criticism that the operation fails to effectively enforce the arms embargo imposed on Libya by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), aiming to limit foreign interference in the country’s internal conflict. On the contrary, the Italian…
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How the United Nations took over Libya, then decided its future
On 16 September, 2011, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 2009, creating the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The mission, which has boasted seven chiefs so far, increasingly became Libya’s top decision-maker following a seven-month bloody civil war that divided the country. The war “officially” ended…
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A breakthrough in Libya, or just too much ado about nothing?
Slovakia’s former Foreign Minister Jan Kubis was approved as the United Nations’ new Libya envoy almost one year after the last envoy, Ghassan Salame, resigned. He is number seven in almost ten years and will also head the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). In a statement announcing the appointment,…
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The Israelisation of US foreign policy is hard to reverse
One of the US foreign policy standards is supporting Israel at all levels, even if that means violating international laws and norms. Every new US president, before they are elected, is likely to have already made certain pledges favouring Israel during their election campaign. As soon as that president is…
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This is what President Biden will not do in the Middle East
On 20 January, Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. This will end four years of Donald Trump’s foreign policy that has upset allies, angered friends and, sometimes, benefitted foes. However, amending foreign policy in the bitterly divided US will neither be easy…
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Can the EU ever have boots on the ground in Libya?
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres, in a letter to member states dated 31 December, asked regional blocs to nominate observers to monitor Libya’s shaky ceasefire and arms embargo. The two Libyan warring sides signed a ceasefire in Geneva on 23 October, but the agreement is under pressure and…
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Is Cairo trying to counter Ankara by warming up to Tripoli?
For the first time in about six years, an Egyptian delegation visited Tripoli, Libya, in an attempt to improve relations between Egypt and the Government of National Accord (GNA) – Libya’s only United Nations (UN)-recognised government in the war-torn country. The two-day visit focused on technical issues like the reopening…
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Is Libya heading in the wrong direction, with potential for another war?
Acting United Nations (UN) Envoy to Libya Stephanie Williams announced on 23 October: “[It is] a crucial sign of hope for the Libyan people.” Williams was enthusiastically describing a permanent ceasefire just signed in Geneva between Libya’s two competing authorities. The document called for several requirements to be met for…
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A new indictment is likely for the Lockerbie bombing, maybe two
The United States justice department is scheduled at 15:30 GMT today to announce a new indictment against a Libyan individual, possibly two, in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on 21 December, 1988. The suspect was described in US media reports last week as explosives expert…
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Human rights take a back seat as Cairo-Paris axis strengthens
On the Egyptian presidency website there is a page dedicated to the awards and medals that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received long before he became president. Yet, the list of 17 honours excludes his most recent – France’s Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, which French President Emmanuel…
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Algeria’s guessing game about its president continues
In Algeria’s challenging guessing game, the health and whereabouts of the president have been the hardest to guess, as always. Is President Abdelmadjid Tebboune healthy enough to carry on his duties during such a difficult time for the country? Is he still in Germany, where he arrived for medical treatment…
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To preserve a 31-year-old lie, Britain is ready to tarnish Scottish justice
The third appeal hearing for the Lockerbie bombing’s only conviction ended last Thursday before Scotland’s highest court. The five judges have now retired to deliberate their verdict. Presiding Lord Justice General Colin Sutherland, Scotland’s most senior judge, said that the panel will deliver its written opinion “as soon as it…
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Libya’s bribery has marred political dialogue
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is continuing in Tunis amid reports of bribery. On 23 November, acting head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Williams, opened a virtual consultation session in which the 75-member group intended to discuss the criteria for higher officeholders. However, the…