European and Middle Eastern governments have exploited the Libyan conflict to advance narrow self-interests — often at the expense of the Libyan people. Still, the U.N. mission has notched several notable achievements since its 2011 establishment, including the signing of the Libyan Political Agreement (2015) and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (2020). For the United States, the political upheaval in Libya was occurring in Europe’s backyard and therefore primarily Europe's responsibility to resolve. UNSMIL’s mandate now reflects the need to achieve a cease-fire and limit the proliferation of arms and materiel. Encouraging the United States to take a tougher stance with respect to the UAE and Egypt in particular would be meaningful.

Source: Libya Today January 09, 2023 18:54 UTC