By Mattia Toaldo
The refugee crisis, as we know it, led the EU to re-think its migration policy in a way that seemed unthinkable just a few years before. This analysis describes the outdated European approach and the process of Europe’s rethinking its assumptions to improve its policy on migration through Libya. Read More
By TIM EATON
A 900-mile electricity blackout would seem to have little connection to attempts to crack down on fuel smuggling. But in Libya, actions can have unforeseen consequences. Read More
By Oliver Miles
Summary: little sign of Qadhafi loyalism since 2011, but Libya may be reduced to clutching at straws. Where is the family now? Read More
By Michael Young
Bruce Riedel talks about U.S. relations in the broader Middle East and describes what prevents him from sleeping. Read More
Benghazi police destroy literature they say ‘promotes violence’ and ideas linked to the Muslim brotherhood and ISIL. Read More
By Robert Cusack
General Khalifa Haftar’s support of Janjaweed mercenaries is causing a return to violence in the Darfur region, the Sudanese media minister said on Sunday. Read More
Eyewitnesses, in Benghazi, said that Emirati and Egyptian airstrikes carried out air attacks on the areas of Souq Al-Hot, al-Sabry, and central Benghazi to help the forces of the House of Representatives (HoR) that led by General Khalifa Haftar. The air raids caused an enormous devastation in Benghazi. Read More
By Karim Traboulsi
What really lies at the heart of Gulf accusations against the Qataris? American academic and Middle East affairs analyst Professor Gary Sick talks to The New Arab. Emboldened by Donald Trump’s support, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are consolidating their counter-revolution in the region, and Qatar is one of the last few remaining ‘loose ends’ of the Arab Spring. Read More
By Mohanad Hage Ali
Amid reports of Seif al-Qaddafi’s release, journalist Samir al-Sa‘dawi sheds light on the affair. Read More
By Simon Henderson
The de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE know how to change positions as pressures demand, but getting it wrong in Qatar, Yemen, and other regional hotspots could have dreadful consequences. Read More
By Mattia Toaldo
The refugee crisis, as we know it, led the EU to re-think its migration policy in a way that seemed unthinkable just a few years before. This analysis describes the outdated European approach and the process of Europe’s rethinking its assumptions to improve its policy on migration through Libya. Read More
By Asharq Al-Awsat
Back in the days when Gaddafi was leader, Libya was billed as a top destination for those looking for jobs and money. But it has turned into the seventh circle of hell for migrants whose experiences range from exploitation verging on slavery to kidnapping and torture. Read More
By Sami Zaptia
A UN report has concluded that ‘‘a variety of sources of funding are available to (Libyan) armed groups’’, assessing that there are ‘‘four important sources of funding: fuel smuggling, trafficking in persons, interference with institutions and the local arms trade. Previous findings on income from other criminal activities and State financing remain relevant’’, the report said. Read More
By Chris Stephen
Libya’s plans to lift oil production to 1m barrels a day this summer hit another political obstacle after the eastern government ordered deliveries handled by Swiss-based Glencore to halt because of its connection to Qatar. Read More
By Javier Martin
Powerless against the disarray and growing anarchy that spreads around smuggling – of oil, gasoline, weapons and people – Hasan Dhawadi, mayor of the Libyan city of Sabratha, raised the alarm. Read More
Policy Analysis Unit
The Policy Analysis Unit is the Center’s department dedicated to the study of the region’s most pressing current affairs. An integral and vital part of the ACRPS’ activities, it offers academically rigorous analysis on issues that are relevant and useful to the public, academics and policy-makers of the Arab region and beyond. Read More
A nighttime maritime patrol is a lesson in Libya’s permeable sovereignty.
By Frederic Wehrey
“This will be a hot pursuit tonight,” the coast guard captain tells me. It is dusk over Tripoli’s harbor and we are standing in the control room of the Kifah, an aging, German-made patrol boat. Read More
By David Hearst
It has been apparent for some time that the war against the Islamic State (IS) group and its forebear al-Qaeda is by no means the only show in town in the Middle East. In fact, for most of the time, the war on terror has been a sideshow. Read More
UN report says Gulf nation has repeatedly violated international arms embargo and secretly supplied renegade general. Read More
By Jason Pack – edited by Rhiannon Smith
Six years after protests first erupted in February 2011 against the brutal and repressive rule of Qadhafi, Libya remains a country beset by deepening political fragmentation, bloody internecine conflict and accelerating economic decline. Read More
By Nathan Brown
The official Muslim religious establishments in Arab countries give governments a major role in religious life, but these institutions are rarely mere regime mouthpieces and can be difficult to steer in a particular direction. Read More
By Alex MacDonald
Egypt used attack on Christians south of Cairo as a pretext to attack Libya’s Derna. But analysts say their real purpose was to support Haftar. Read More
By Mohamud Hassan
Somalis are very good at nicknaming things and even people. The name Magafe literally means the one who never misses in Somali and that is what Somalis use to describe a Libyan warlord who has made a business out of kidnapping poor immigrants heading to Europe via the Sahara desert. Read More
By Sami Zaptia
A dangerous black market is growing across Libya that disproportionately affects an already vulnerable population and threatens to further destabilize the fragile economy. That’s according to a new report out from the US NGO Mercy Corps. Read More
By Jason Pack – edited by Rhiannon Smith
Six years after protests first erupted in February 2011 against the brutal and repressive rule of Qadhafi, Libya remains a country beset by deepening political fragmentation, bloody internecine conflict and accelerating economic decline. Read More
By Thembisa Fakude
The ongoing blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt has exposed the harshness of Middle Eastern politics. Read More
By Jamal Elshayyal
Gulf states claim they are besieging Qatar over Doha’s support of terrorist organisations. The real motivations? Emirati revenge and a Saudi deputy crown prince who wants to be king. Read More
By Abdullah Al-Arian
On May 21, US President Donald Trump headlined a widely celebrated summit in Saudi Arabia bringing together the heads of state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and many of their regional allies to affirm their commitment to the never-ending battle against “terrorism”. Read More
By Wadah Khanfar
The move of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain against Qatar was swift. It was launched on the back of a fake news report placed by hackers on the website of Qatar’s official news agency. That allowed the three Gulf states to launch a media campaign led by Saudi- and UAE-controlled TV channels. Read More
By Nathan Brown
The official Muslim religious establishments in Arab countries give governments a major role in religious life, but these institutions are rarely mere regime mouthpieces and can be difficult to steer in a particular direction. Read More
Kidnapping has become a growing problem in Libya, where three governments and several militia are vying for power. The BBC’s North Africa correspondent Rana Jawad has been talking to people personally affected. Read More
By Alaa Bayoumi
A new wave of anti-democratic momentum is spreading across the Arab world, targeting regimes and movements that supported the Arab Spring. Read More
By Muhammad Mansour
The stability that some believe a strongman guarantees is actually a perfect incubator for sectarianism and terrorism. In the 18-day uprising in Tahrir square in 2011, I witnessed the peak of unity between Egypt’s Muslims and Coptic Christians. Read More
By Rebecca Hersman and Sarah Minot
Humanitarian catastrophe is becoming commonplace – part of a new normal in which fragile governments, violence, and conflict now too often co-exist with large-scale humanitarian crises. Read More
By Bachir Amroune
Qatar stands isolated under accusations of sponsoring terrorism. But this diplomatic crisis is actually about young princes’ unbridled quest for power – with the help of Donald Trump, says DW’s Bachir Amroune. Read More
By Ahmed Salah Ali
There is a contradiction in General Khalifa Haftar’s narrative. Although he denounces his opponents as “takfiri terrorists and Kharijites” and accuses Misrata of employing political Islam, turning to takfiri groups for help, embracing the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh), and supporting Ansar al-Sharia. Read More