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Archives: Libya

How Europe’s Post-Revolution Abandonment of Libya led to Mediterranean Crisis

By Ioannis Chapsos | (The Conversation) | - Libya has been in a state of chaos ever since the fall of its former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, and the situation scarcely seems to…

Rand Paul: GOP Hawks are Obama’s “Lapdogs;” McCain: Paul ‘Worst Candidate’

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) The philosophical difference between the Libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and the GOP hawks has burst into open name-calling. First, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that…

ISIL’s Libya Affiliate Murders 30 Ethiopian Christians

By EurActiv | - A video purportedly made by Islamic State and posted on social media sites on Sunday (19 April) appeared to show militants shooting and beheading about 30 Ethiopian Christians…

Egypt: Sisi’s struggle with the Muslim Brotherhood and his Strikes on ISIL/ Daesh in Libya

By Henry Clements | (Informed Comment) - Egyptian president Abdel Fatah El-Sisi wants to rally the international community against terrorism in the Middle East. In a televised speech earlier this week he…

2 1/2 yrs after US Consulate Attack, Libyan Nat’l Army advances in Benghazi against Radicals

CCTV Africa | - "Footage from Benghazi showed troops, equipped with tanks, gun-mounted trucks and automatic weapons, advancing through farmland." CCTV Africa: "Libya’s Army Makes Gains In Fighting Against Militias" The Algerian…

Avenging its Christians, Egypt Bombs Libya in first formal Campaign since 1991

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) - The murder by Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) thugs in Sirte, Libya, of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians this weekend provoked the first formal Egyptian military incursion…

Sen. Lindsey Graham furious GOP House Benghazi Report Shows He Wasted All our Time & Money

The Young Turks | --- ""Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday blasted a House GOP-led investigation that recently debunked myths about the 2012 Benghazi attack. “I think the report is full of…

The Wider Appeal of ISIL and Sunni Grievances

By Juan Cole al-Quds al-`Arabi [Arab Jerusalem] reports on the appeal of ISIL to Salafi hard line Sunni Muslims. In a worrisome development, radicals throughout the region are rallying to the so-called…

Will Egypt Intervene in Libya as part of Generals’ War on Political Islam?

CCTV Africa: "Pressure is growing on Egypt's government to intervene in Libya. That's after the emergence this week of an Islamic State-style caliphate - close to the Egyptian border. Many in Cairo…

The Arab Political Crisis: It isn’t a Matter of Civilization and it isn’t Unique

By Juan Cole Hisham Melhem has a piece on what he calls the collapse of Arab civilization. The piece is riddled with contradictions and fuzzy thinking and with all due respect to…

Cole’s “The New Arabs” at Firedoglake Book Salon

By Juan Cole Firedoglake Book Salon on Juan Cole, The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is changing the Middle East See also this recent NYT review by Irshad Manji FDL Book…

5 Ironies of US Reaction to Egypt/UAE Bombing of Libya

The diplomatic angst issuing from Washington around the United Arab Emirates and Egypt bombing of weapons depots belonging to the Qatar-backed fundamentalist militia of Misrata holds many delicious ironies: 1. According to…

The Appeal of Intervention: New Iraqi Premier, Libyan Parliament ask for Int’l Troops

By Juan Cole According to a spokesman for his Da'wa Party (Islamic Call or Islamic Mission), Iraq's prime minister-designate Haydar al-Abadi is preparing a platform on the basis of which he will…

Middle East Crisis: Juan’s “Ask Me Anything” at Reddit Discussion

By Juan Cole Mirrored from LevantineWar at Reddit.com I am Juan Cole, author of the new book The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East I teach Middle…

What the Arab Youth Movements have Wrought: Don’t Count them Out Yet

By Juan Cole via Tomdispatch.com Three and a half years ago, the world was riveted by the massive crowds of youths mobilizing in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demand an end to Egypt’s…

July 1: Juan’s new Book, “The New Arabs” hits the Shelves

By Juan Cole For those of you who like "long reads," my new book will be out next Tuesday. For those of you intending to buy it, let me suggest that you…

Dear GOP: Captured Benghazi Suspect Says He Was Inspired By Video

Captured Benghazi Suspect Says He Was Inspired By Video (via Liberaland) Abu Khatalla, the captured suspected ringleader of the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attack, says it was the much-discussed video that inspired…

On D-Day: Remembering the Muslim Troops who Fought the Axis

By Juan Cole One of the frustrations for a world historian is the unyieldingly parochial vision of the North Atlantic common among journalists and even many historians, and consequently among the public.…

Top 5 Wars on Religious Extremism in Today’s Muslim World

The Fox News commentators who say that the Muslim world is not doing enough to police its own extremist movements don't actually seem to be reading the news. If anything in a…

Second Libyan Revolution, this Time Against Political Islam, Extremist Militias

Second Libyan Upheaval, this Time Against Political Islam, Extremist Militias

(By Juan Cole) In Benghazi on Monday morning, fighting resumed between the "Libyan National Army" forces of Col. Khalifa Hifter and fundamentalist extremists. The latter fired rockets at the Benina military airport…