Haftar’s system: control everything that matters'

Backed by Egyptian and Emirati airstrikes, his forces attacked jihadist factions and revolutionary brigades in Benghazi and Tripoli.

The UAE, Egypt and later Russia – invested in his survival. He would not govern or hold office, but he controlled the men who did. What he had rehearsed in Chad, refined in exile, and tested in Benghazi, was complete. The system had found its country.

The foundation of his power is oil. In September 2016, Haftar’s forces seized the “oil crescent”, a 250-mile coastal strip that includes Libya’s four major export terminals. Two-thirds of Libya’s crude oil flows through these ports. Under international pressure, Haftar handed operational control back to the National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli, the only exporter the world recognises. But he kept military control of the territory, giving him extraordinary leverage.

Guardian

This was written by a Chatom House mouthpiece. They always forget to mention that middle eastern countries with stability, are run by Monarchists and Strong Men.

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Posted by QboveTopSecret

America

Member since Feb 2018

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Posted on 3/12/26 at 7:28 pm to QboveTopSecret

But as of March 2026, the tables have turned. Compared to the total war unfolding in West Asia, Libya’s current “Tripoli-Benghazi détente” looks like a beacon of relative stability.

Libya’s first oil field licensing round since the removal of Muammar Gaddafi as leader in 2011 has seen a slew of major Western international oil companies (IOCs) choose to either re-enter the country after a long absence or bolster their existing operations in a stunning success for Tripoli. As part of the National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) target of lifting oil production to 2 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2028, it announced last year that 22 offshore and onshore blocks would be licensed in the initial bidding round. Perhaps the standout winner of a contract award was U.S. supermajor Chevron, designated as the winning bidder for Contract Area 106 in the country’s oil-rich Sirte Basin, marking its return to the country after a 16-year hiatus. Other Western majors that secured new fields were Italy’s ENI, Spain’s Repsol, and Hungary’s MOL, with Middle East heavyweight QatarEnergy also gaining an award. So, does all this herald a brave new era for Libya, or will it turn out to be just another false dawn?

oilprice

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Posted by QboveTopSecret

America

Member since Feb 2018

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Posted on 3/12/26 at 7:56 pm to QboveTopSecret

Why Western democracy can never work in the Middle East
The Arab states are governed less by the rule of law than by the rule of favour.

Middle Eastern countries where family, tribe, sect and personal friendships trump the apparatus of the state. These are certainly not societies governed by the rule of law. On the contrary, they are better described as “favour for favour” societies. When you have a problem of any kind, you look for someone related to you by family, tribe or region to help you out and requests are most unlikely to be refused since these ties are especially powerful. In countries where there is no effective social security, your future security lies only in the often extensive family.

Behind what we might perceive as this somewhat chaotic structure lie the secret police and the armed forces. They hold the state together under the aegis of the president, king, or whoever rules the roost. That leader keeps the different elements of society in play with concessions to each group but he has an iron fist to be used when necessary, as the public well understand.

telegraph

Control What Matters.

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