Libya
My Grandpa, the Fascist?
Leafing through an old family photo album led the author to a personal reckoning with Italy’s dark past in Libya — at a time when telling the often forgotten and sidelined story of the country’s fascist exploits abroad seems more urgent than ever.
State of Plunder
At the heart of the puzzle is a power struggle in Tripoli that has reshaped Libya’s political alliances and helped the Haftar family to unparalleled funds to dispense patronage. As a result of that struggle, the hemorrhage of state funds is worsening, Haftar’s sons are consolidating their power and, ultimately, the shaky balance that has maintained the calm in Libya over the past decade might come undone.
My Father, the Cleaver: Remembering a Libyan Cartoonist’s Satirical Legacy
From his exile in northern England, the Libyan satirist Hasan Dhaimish skewered Moammar Gadhafi and his ilk for decades with his razor-sharp cartoons. After the dictator’s fall, Dhaimish took his work into overdrive — but without a central target, his net widened, and his isolation deepened.
How ‘The Message’ and ‘The Lion of the Desert’ Forever Shaped How Libyans See Themselves
Two epic films — financed by Gadhafi and shot on location — have shaped Libyans’ vision of themselves for over 40 years. “The Message” and “The Lion of the Desert” have cast long shadows over filmmaking in the country that are hard to escape.
In Life and Death, Libyan Poet Mustafa al-Trabelsi Sang the Song of Derna
The day Derna was washed out to sea, the poet Mustafa Trabelsi published a short poem on his Facebook page, titled “The Rain.” Its prediction of the coming devastation became an indictment of Libya’s corrupt political elite.
How Libyan and Italian Authorities Are Hindering Migrant Rescue Ships
On the surface, it is odd that the rescue ship Humanity 1 and the Libyan coast guard should compete because both, in theory, are supposed to save refugees’ lives. But the Libyans are under contract to return migrants to Libya, while the nonprofit vessels want to land them in Europe.
Libyan Floods Reflect a River of Corruption and Negligence
As Libya recovers from the initial shock of this catastrophe, the political situation is slowly sliding back to normal. A narrative war is beginning between various sides, and the politicization of and profiteering from relief have begun.