Libya

List of Libya articles

A Libyan boy waves a U.S. flag during a mass rally in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya, in 2011.
A Libyan boy waves a U.S. flag during a mass rally in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya, in 2011.

Why Isn’t the U.S. in Libya?

Outside powers take a growing interest in this oil-rich African state where the U.S. Embassy has been closed since 2014.

Supporters of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar attend a rally marking the 71st anniversary of the country's independence from Italy in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Supporters of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar attend a rally marking the 71st anniversary of the country's independence from Italy in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Libya Wants Elections but Needs More Than a Ballot Box

More than a decade after the country’s plunge into chaos, there are two governments and little governance.

Photo: Paul Patrick Borhaug/Utøya
Photo: Paul Patrick Borhaug/Utøya

Inside the Youth-Led Fight for Peace in Libya

One reporter goes behind closed doors at the Libyan peace talks in Norway.

Libyan tribal leaders pray in the city of Zintan on March 28, 2018.
Libyan tribal leaders pray in the city of Zintan on March 28, 2018.

Will Zintan Determine Libya’s Future?

With control over oil revenues and smuggling profits up for grabs, militias from the western city may once again exercise outsized influence over who leads the country.

Teams carry ammunition cleared from civilian settlements south of Tripoli, Libya, on July 22, 2020. Militia affiliated with the warlord Khalifa Haftar's armed forces and mercenaries from the Russian security company Wagner Group trapped multiple mines and handmade explosives in the area.
Teams carry ammunition cleared from civilian settlements south of Tripoli, Libya, on July 22, 2020. Militia affiliated with the warlord Khalifa Haftar's armed forces and mercenaries from the Russian security company Wagner Group trapped multiple mines and handmade explosives in the area.

Libya Could Be Putin’s Trump Card

Global oil markets have already felt the pinch of Libyan oil shutdowns helped along by Russian mercenaries.

A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 migrants attempting to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, Libya on June 27, 2017.
A Libyan coast guardsman stands on a boat during the rescue of 147 migrants attempting to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, Libya on June 27, 2017.

The Next Mediterranean Migration Crisis Will Be Worse

A new book tells the forgotten story of migrants stranded in Libya amid United Nations incompetence and Western indifference.

Libyans protest for elections with signs.
Libyans protest for elections with signs.

What Went Wrong With Libya’s Failed Elections

This was the predictable outcome of a deeply flawed process.

Libyans demonstrate against election postponement.
Libyans demonstrate against election postponement.

Elections Can’t Fix What’s Wrong With Libya

A canceled presidential election might be just what the country needs.

starting-a-peace-process-in-libya-the-negotiators-podcast-foreign-policy-anuj-shrestha-illustration-3-2-site
starting-a-peace-process-in-libya-the-negotiators-podcast-foreign-policy-anuj-shrestha-illustration-3-2-site

The Negotiators Podcast: The Long Road to Libya’s Election

From civil war to digital dialogues, an insider’s account of the Libyan peace process.

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) meets with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (R) and head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed al-Manfi (L) during the International conference on Libya  in Paris on Nov. 12.
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) meets with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (R) and head of the Presidential Council of Libya Mohamed al-Manfi (L) during the International conference on Libya in Paris on Nov. 12.

Rushed Elections in Libya Won’t Bring Peace

The U.N.’s obsession with process is making conflict and instability more likely.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks.

Russia Blocks Brit From U.N. Libya Envoy Role

Diplomatic spats could undermine U.N. position ahead of key national elections.

Jan Kubis, United Nations special envoy for Libya
Jan Kubis, United Nations special envoy for Libya
A man makes a military salute during a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict organized by the city administration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 3.
A man makes a military salute during a memorial service for the victims of the Tigray conflict organized by the city administration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 3.

Can African Leaders End Ethiopia’s War?

As civil war spreads, Kenya and the African Union are trying to broker a cease-fire.

Libyans inspect the site of a car bomb attack.
Libyans inspect the site of a car bomb attack.

Libya’s Chaos Is a Warning to the World

Ten years after Qaddafi’s death, Libya is a harbinger of the enduring global disorder to come.

un-sanctions-inspectors-africa-foreign-policy-illustration
un-sanctions-inspectors-africa-foreign-policy-illustration

‘The Worst Bloody Job in the World’

U.N. sanctions inspectors feel unsupported and unsafe.

A Russian armored personnel carrier in the Central African Republic
A Russian armored personnel carrier in the Central African Republic

Russia’s Wagner Group Doesn’t Actually Exist

And that makes it all the more challenging to get to grips with.

A Libyan teacher waves the flag of Libya’s former monarchy, which was adopted by anti-Muammar al-Qaddafi forces, at the start of the school year in Tripoli on Sept. 18, 2011.
A Libyan teacher waves the flag of Libya’s former monarchy, which was adopted by anti-Muammar al-Qaddafi forces, at the start of the school year in Tripoli on Sept. 18, 2011.

Could a Monarch Heal Libya?

The country needs a unifying figure. Ahead of elections this year, it’s worth considering a constitutional monarchy.

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