Infinity war: Libya’s reoccurring conflict
Libya is trapped in a degenerative cycle of war. Yet Europeans could use the current stalemate in the country to restart an electoral process that would end the cycle.
Libya
Hedge politics: Turkey’s search for balance in the Middle East
Ankara is trying to normalise its relationships with Middle Eastern governments. The EU needs to adjust to the new Turkey that is emerging from this process.
Never let a good crisis go to waste: How Europe can respond to Libya’s riots
European policymakers should look on current protests in Libya as a rare opportunity to push for change in what has long been a stagnant political environment
Tools of influence: Drone proliferation in the Middle East and North Africa
States in the region increasingly design and produce their own drones. The EU should respond by investing in European drone technology and creating a shared accountability regime for the use of such systems.
Building security: How Europeans can help reform Libya
Europeans can play a meaningful role in the reform of Libya’s security sector if they adopt a shared strategy and operational principles
The man from Misrata: Why Libya has two prime ministers (again)
If Libya is to avoid the same political dynamics that sparked its long-running civil war, European states that are invested in Libyan diplomacy will need to focus on establishing a new electoral road map
Unsettled: The impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the Middle East and North Africa
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Turkey’s drone diplomacy: Lessons for Europe
Turkey has shown how drones can be a powerful foreign policy asset. The EU and its member states should work with the country to lead the development and regulation of this technology.
Plot twist: How Europe should deal with Libya’s new government
Europe should support the UN process in Libya by working to ensure that the country’s upstart new government focuses on preparing for and holding the general election in December
Spoiler alert: How Europe can save diplomacy in Libya
Europeans should provide stabilisation, technical, and diplomatic support to strengthen Libya’s governance and accountability mechanisms to ensure a new government can successfully hold elections in 2021
Publications
Hedge politics: Turkey’s search for balance in the Middle East
Ankara is trying to normalise its relationships with Middle Eastern governments. The EU needs to adjust to the new Turkey that is emerging from this process.
Building security: How Europeans can help reform Libya
Europeans can play a meaningful role in the reform of Libya’s security sector if they adopt a shared strategy and operational principles
Spoiler alert: How Europe can save diplomacy in Libya
Europeans should provide stabilisation, technical, and diplomatic support to strengthen Libya’s governance and accountability mechanisms to ensure a new government can successfully hold elections in 2021
Libya’s global civil war
Introduction The Libyan National Army’s (LNA) recent advance on Tripoli, under the leadership of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has pushed Libya into what could become…
Order from chaos: Stabilising Libya the local way
The tragedy of Libya in well known in outline but poorly known in detail – to many in Europe, that is. But Europe has a role in the country’s stabilisation.
Alone in the desert? How France can lead Europe in the Middle East
France sees the MENA region as a state for foreign policy and great power politics and an opportunity to shape global politics and punch above its weight
Don’t close borders, manage them: how to improve EU policy on migration through Libya
Attempts to close Europe’s borders are counter-productive – legal channels must be opened in exchange for return of illegals
After ISIS: How to Win the Peace in Iraq and Libya
Recent terror attacks in Berlin, Baghdad and Istanbul demonstrate that defeating ISIS militarily is only half the battle
Intervening better: Europe’s second chance in Libya
The unity government offers the best chance of stabilising Libya, stemming refugee flows and pushing back ISIS, and Europe should focus on strengthening it
Five years on: A new European agenda for North Africa
Five years after the Arab uprisings in North Africa, the EU needs to avoid an “either-or” mentality on stability versus progress
Articles
Infinity war: Libya’s reoccurring conflict
Libya is trapped in a degenerative cycle of war. Yet Europeans could use the current stalemate in the country to restart an electoral process that would end the cycle.
Never let a good crisis go to waste: How Europe can respond to Libya’s riots
European policymakers should look on current protests in Libya as a rare opportunity to push for change in what has long been a stagnant political environment
Tools of influence: Drone proliferation in the Middle East and North Africa
States in the region increasingly design and produce their own drones. The EU should respond by investing in European drone technology and creating a shared accountability regime for the use of such systems.
The man from Misrata: Why Libya has two prime ministers (again)
If Libya is to avoid the same political dynamics that sparked its long-running civil war, European states that are invested in Libyan diplomacy will need to focus on establishing a new electoral road map
Unsettled: The impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the Middle East and North Africa
Heightened conflict in Ukraine could have serious consequences for European interests in the Middle East and North Africa. It could further disrupt energy supplies, exacerbate food insecurity, and help states in the region gain leverage over the US and Europe.
Turkey’s drone diplomacy: Lessons for Europe
Turkey has shown how drones can be a powerful foreign policy asset. The EU and its member states should work with the country to lead the development and regulation of this technology.
Plot twist: How Europe should deal with Libya’s new government
Europe should support the UN process in Libya by working to ensure that the country’s upstart new government focuses on preparing for and holding the general election in December
How new street protests can help diplomacy in Libya succeed
Rival camps in Libya will likely sabotage political processes that could undermine them. The international community can head this off by harnessing protesters’ justified anger.
Turkey and Europe: Growing tensions and a hot summer in the Mediterranean
Europe needs a grand bargain with Turkey that can create a short- and longer-term conflict-resolution framework covering energy, maritime boundaries, the Cyprus conflict, and Libya
Why the war in Libya is a test for Italy – and for a geopolitical European Commission
If Italy was the front facing east during the cold war, then today it is vulnerable to the south: the country has been drawn into a geopolitical competition that looms over the Strait of Sicily
Specials
Deep sea rivals: Europe, Turkey, and new eastern Mediterranean conflict lines
The eastern Mediterranean is becoming ever more perilous as geopolitical fault lines steadily enmesh the region. These rifts emerge from the Cyprus ‘frozen conflict’, competition for valuable gas fields, and the increasingly entangled wars in Libya and Syria.
A quick guide to Libya’s main players
In Libya there are very few truly national actors, the vast majority are local players. This guide explains who the players are and what they control.
Podcasts
Russia’s Syria, Turkey’s Libya?
The attempt of a peace process in Libya is facing several substantial hindrances, where a variety of actors keep on inducing significant upheavals in its…
The Berlin Libya Conference: a moment to shine for European foreign policy?
Anthony Dworkin stands in for our usual host, Mark Leonard, to de-brief the Berlin Conference on Libya. Together with the ECFR’s experts Asli Aydıntaşbaş, Tarek…
Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ?
Podcast de notre BCM du 5 mai « Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ? » en présence de Tarek Megerisi, chercheur…
Les politiques migratoires et de sécurité de l’Union européenne dans le Sahel
Podcast de notre BCM du 9 octobre : « Les politiques migratoires et de sécurité de l’Union européenne dans le Sahel » avec Giovanni Faleg,…
Is Libya falling apart again?
Mark Leonard speaks with Julien Barnes-Dacey and Tarek Megerisi about the Libyan conflict, the impact of the Paris summit, and Europe’s fight over migration policies…
The role of France in the Middle East
Is France alone in the desert? ECFR experts Julien Barnes-Dacey and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil discuss how France can lead Europe in the Middle East
Quelle stratégie pour l’après-Daech en Irak et en Libye ?
Podcast du Black Coffee Morning “Quelle stratégie pour l’après-Daech en Irak et en Libye ?” du 10/02, animé par Florence Gaub, Analyste senior…
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: The Vienna talks on Libya and Syria
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard speaks with ECFR policy fellows Ellie Geranmayeh, Julien Barnes-Dacey and Mattia Toaldo, about the recent talks in Vienna where foreign minister…
How to Escalate Political Efforts to Stabilise Libya?
After more than a year of efforts, some Libyan factions have signed a UN-backed political agreement. The newly created Government of National Accord, which moved…
What role for Europe in settling Libyan political crisis?
BCM du mercredi 17 février portant sur le rôle pour l'Europe dans le règlement de la crise poliique libyenne. Avec Mattia Toaldo, Policy Fellow à…
Events
11 Feb
After Berlin: What options for peace in Libya?
A breakfast discussion on the peace options in Libya following the Berlin conference
22 Jan
Après la Conférence de Berlin, des espoirs de paix en Libye ?
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning en présence de Tarek Megerisi, Mary Fitzgerald, Olivier Vallée et Leela Jacinto
4 Nov
European Foreign Policy In An Era Of Great Powers Competition
How can the EU demonstrate resolve and respond to the interests of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi-Arabia?
2 Oct
Bridging the Divide: How Germany can help stabilise Libya
Roundtable discussion on Germany's role in the Libyan Civil War and what Germany can do to help stabilize the country
3 May
Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ?
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un Black Coffee Morning, en présence de Tarek Megerisi, Mary Fitzgerald et Virginie Collombier, sur le thème suivant : « Quelle issue pour la situation en Libye ? »
12 Feb
Conferencia: Migraciones en el mundo Árabe
Conferencia, celebrada en colaboración con Casa Árabe, para tratar las cuestiones migratorias que conciernen a Europa y al Norte de África
7 Nov
Briefing privado: “Europa, España, Libia y la crisis migratoria”
La oficina de ECFR en Madrid organizó una sesión informativa sobre la crisis en Libia y la experiencia migratoria de España con los representantes de las diferentes embajadas e instituciones europeas en Madrid.
1 Oct
Russia and the Middle East
Nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter à un évènement en partenariat avec l’Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne (EUISS) avec Nicu Popescu, Stanislav Secrieru, Julien Barnes-Dacey et Timofey Borisov
8 May
Desayuno de trabajo sobre Túnez y Libia
El pasado viernes 28 de abril, la oficina de ECFR en Madrid, organizó un desayuno de trabajo sobre la situación actual en Túnez y Libia y las principales opciones para Europa y para la política española
10 Feb
Quelle stratégie pour l’après-Daech en Irak et en Libye ?
L'ECFR Paris a le plaisir de vous inviter à un nouveau BCM animé par Florence Gaub, Mattia Toaldo et Manuel Lafont Rapnouil
In the media
[The Italian government] wants to create an anti-Russian anti-Wagner narrative that seeks to internationalize the migrant crisis and the Libyan crisis within the larger crisis with Russia
Arturo Varvelli comments on migration flows towards Europe, on the role of the Wagner militia, and on the latest shipwreck off the Libyan coasts
The Italians recognise there won’t be elections for a while and want to work with Dbeibah in the meantime, while also betting on the NOC, a guarantor of stability alongside Libya’s central bank
As a matter of fact, the Italian government believes that the NOC president is able to overcome the turmoil in Libya
The new government has realized that the Libyan crisis is an endemic one
The only solution is a stabilization of Libya. It is neither easy nor immediate, but it is the only solution that can yield results.
Arturo Varvelli comments on the control of migration flows along the Central Mediterranean route