On 18 March, Jason Pack, President and founder of Libya-Analysis, will be the guest speaker at the lecture untitled “Kingdom of Militias? Mapping the Libyan Security Challenge” organized by the Italian Institute for Political Studies (ISPI) in Milan, Palazzo Clerici. The chairman of the event will be Arturo Varvelli, Co-Head MENA Center at ISPI and the discussions will also involve Virginie Collombier, Scientific Coordinator for the Middle East Directions Programme, European University Institute and Otman Gajiji, Former Chairman of HNEC and Municipal Elections of Libya CCMCE; Elections and Local Governance expert.Experts are to discuss the issue of militias in the Libyan context.
Militias remain fundamental to understand the evolution of the Libyan crisis. This is especially true if we look at the failure of national reconciliation efforts that were based on political or civil figures who have little leverage over those groups able to exert real territorial control in the country. Militias’ role is also pivotal to assess the internal political and military landscape as they directly manage security according to varying – and often conflicting – political interests which emanate from powerful leaders but are also subject to external influences. What kind of interactions do Libyan militias and armed groups have with the country's institutions and society? What is their ideology? How do they get their funding? What do they really want? Can these groups be integrated in a Libyan national reconciliation effort? If so, then under which conditions?
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