On 28 August, Libya-Analysis President and Founder Jason Pack appeared on a panel for Al-Jazeera’s Inside Story alongside Salah El Bakkoush (former adviser to Libya's High Council of State) and Mansour el Kikhia (Professor of Politics, University of Texas at San Antonio). The panel discussed whether Libya is on the brink of another civil war following a weekend of violence in Tripoli that left dozens dead. Jason commented that the danger of this moment has been building all year given that both governments in Libya - the Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, and the Government of National Stability (GNS) led by Prime Minister Fathi Bashaagha - are viewed as illegitimate. Jason noted that Dabaiba’s mandate has expired, while Bashaagha has no international legitimacy, and said the Europeans and International Community have been following a policy of ‘destructive ambiguity’ without a clear legitimate Prime Minister to recognise or support. Jason said that neither Dabaiba nor Bashaagha want an election as both want to stay in power, and that elections are needed not to reaffirm either government but to ‘wipe away the old’. Jason further contends that the international community must coordinate better and speak with one voice to incentivise Libyan elections and help reform the Libyan economy and make it more transparent.
Watch the full panel discussion below: