On 30 April, Libya-Analysis Founder Jason Pack was interviewed for an article in International Policy Digest where he discussed democracy in Libya, geopolitics in the Gulf, and Putin’s miscalculations in Ukraine. Examining Libya’s postponed 24 December elections, Jason explained how since the first Civil War in 2014 the question of when Libyan elections will take place has served as a battleground for opposing sides hoping to gain power. Jason argues that powers such as Russia, France, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia contribute to prolonging the Libyan conflict by supporting different sides to promote their own interests. He details how Russia disrupted the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and other UN actions to push elections forwards by blocking Stephanie Williams from being appointed as Special Envoy for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Equally, the appointment of Ján Kubiš as Special Envoy over Williams served to take electoral organisation responsibilities away from the LPDF and UN and give it to the House of Representatives (HoR), who have built elections to fail so they can stay in power. He asserts that without the international community's guidance, Libyan elections will continue to fail. However, Jason concludes that he has high hopes for Libya's future given its energy reserves and key geostrategic location.
Read the interview here.